John McCain made Alaska Governor Sarah Palin his running mate in the hope of picking up votes from discontented Hillary Clinton supporters.

This was after the Illinois Senator, Barack  Obama, appointed Joe Biden as his vice president, in a way similar to that of his rival, to counter his seemingly ‘weak’ position.

Obama’s critics have been saying that his experience and age does not make him a good candidate for the US White House.

When he appointed Biden, he silenced his critics in a way, building more confidence in his supporters to take the house.

The McCain camp was not asleep either; they were calculating the next move to weaken their rival, a thing that prompted them to appoint a woman as MacCains running mate.

That is how Sarah and Joe came to enjoy the important posts they hold today. Vital strategic alliances in the Republican and Democratic camps meant to win them the crucial election.

One would ask a question and indeed many are doing so; who made the right decision and who misfired? The Democrats or the Republicans? There is no one straight answer, but speculation has been rife with more coming.

The Republicans seem to have made a ‘good choice’ in a woman candidate anticipating to woo women voters disgruntled by Hillary’s failure to win the nomination and later on the vice presidency. 

"Governor Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president,” Mr. McCain’s office said in a statement announcing his choice.

Sarah being a woman too is expected to pick votes from other women voters who will be guided by emotions and sentiments as they vote.

This for sure is a trick that would work properly especially in the Republican camp, where women will not only see Sarah as a Republican, but also as a ‘fellow’ woman. The Democratic women voters (some) may also see Sarah in the same way.

On the other hand, the Democrats choice meant to greatly improve confidence on Obama. Biden is a long term serving politician with a strong foreign policy experience to reckon with. His age and experience therefore, is expected to lure, not only sceptical Democrats but also liberal Republicans.

The Democrats went further to consolidate their possible winning position by having Hillary endorse Obama as the next presidential candidate.

Hillary’s speech for example confirmed to the Democrats, that relationships were indeed mended.

Hillary as opposed to Sarah has a strong political background in the US and elsewhere in the world. The strength of Hilary can be traced from her own political history and that of her husband,former preident Bill Clinton. Such is the additional power Obama may lean on.

However, whoever gained more strength in their choice of a running mate is still to be seen and time will tell anyway, as the campaign picks pace.

What will actually draw, a line of difference is each candidate’s ability to convincingly persuade Americans that he will serve them better. We are yet to hear from McCain as he officially accepts nomination. So far we have had from Obama.

There were a lot of critics from different groups and individuals from within and outside America, based on various sentiments and wishes.

In general, the speech that Obama gave shored him up. His landmark speech, was not only seen as a showbiz, but was reminiscent to many Americans of the famous Martin Luther King’s speech "I have a dream”.

"It was very impressive,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Centre for Politics.

"He did what he needed to do for his party and for the swing independents who will consider him.”

By ‘coincidence’, Obama’s speech came precisely on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s "I Have a Dream” speech.

On that day in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his landmark speech in the nation’s capital, demanding equal rights from the American government.

Obama’s win for the White House would thus be the realization of the dream that Dr. King talked about.

According to The New York Times, Dr. King’s daughter, Bernice declared that Senator Obama’s nomination is part of her father’s dream, citing Obama’s nomination as: "the acceptance of a Democratic presidential nominee, decided not by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character.” We are however still waiting to validate Bernice’s position.

Obama actually accepted his nomination in a stadium full to capacity with musicians making it more colourful; the décor and revellers made it a great showbiz, a political showbiz that sent every body in the stadium wild.

In the mean time, nearly 2,400 delegates on Wednesday are scheduled to formally back McCain and on Thursday night, the 72-year-old Arizona senator is to accept the nomination. Planned speakers include, Governor Tim Pawlenty and U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman who are to each speak twice.

President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were expected to give their speeches on Monday night. They however had to cancel, instead attending to people affected by Hurricane Gustav. In any case, by attending to the disaster they are carrying out a strategic campaign for McCain more beneficial than attending the ceremony.

We shall in the near future, witness the mother of all political battles when the two candidates face each other in debates.

Contact: mugitoni@yahoo.com