Impressions from the First ’08 Primary

After watching the results roll in this past Tuesday and the subsequent speeches from the Democratic and GOP contenders, the one candidate I was most impressed with was Barack Obama.

He may be on the wrong side of the fence on a majority of the issues, but his presentation that followed the final results was concise and eloquent. Unlike Hillary, he’s very likable and doesn’t struggle to show himself as human. It’s easy to see why he’s been crowned the media darling, let alone why so many Democrats are starting to flock toward his camp.

I’m interested to see if Hillary can continue her momentum from her New Hampshire win, but it won’t be easy.

On the GOP side, McCain (who I like more and more) took the win with enthusiastic chants of “Mac-at-tack” cheering him on. His speech was average at best, but his content held true to what he’s preached on the campaign trail. He’s never wavered on Iraq and I like his approach toward immigration.

Giuliani is and has been my first choice for the GOP nomination, but if McCain ended up winning, I wouldn’t be disappointed.

So, who left me with the worst impression Tuesday night? That honor went to John Edwards, hands down. He’s a broken record from ’04 and he needs to withdraw from the race all together.

ER

CNN: Election Center 2008

Newsweek: Bush Shakes up ’08 Iraq Debate

The Weekly Standard: The Surge Effect