Dishing the dirt on Obama has led nowhere after a couple of years.

Dishing the dirt on McCain (with decades of material to use) has led nowhere.

I've decided that McCain is not a maniacal, ignorant warmonger. He is not George Bush.

I've decided that Obama is not a fluffy puppet. He's not a racist or closet Muslim.

I won't listen to those allegations any further. We only have a few months left, and look at the issues we should assess.

The global economy is going in the toilet, with US leading the way. The dollar is eroding and we may lose its preferred status in global trade, causing us a lot more harm. Inflation is coming and inflation cannot be quickly eradicated. Boomers are about to start retiring in droves with almost no real savings and mostly without proper pensions.

We have two "wars" not under control, and higher-than-normal instability in the Middle East.

Income and wealth disparities are much higher than ever and are deteriorating further. Health care coverage problems are deteriorating even further.

Neither Obama nor McCain can fix any of these things. They would both agree that they are all bad. Which one could be most effective in pushing the government and private machinery to resist these processes / developments? That's the question as I see it, stripped away from inspirational rhetoric or special interest pandering. All else is diversionary (-especially (a) consideration or discussion of racism, and (b) consideration of how to make people in Iran or England or Bulgaria say nice things about us. – Both of those tracks are roads to nowhere.)

I agree with the Ancient One, immediately above, that the U.S. wants a leader with integrity to transcend petty politics and do the right thing for the greater good. As far as I can tell, either Obama or McCain might try to do that. One of them might even do it with some degree of success (after repaying their political obligations, and probably with the exception of judicial appointments.)