The Real Deal?

Change?
No more politics-as-usual?
A chief executive who can utter a coherent -- even lyrical -- sentence?

I want to believe.

Heretofore hailed by an insular crowd as a savior and Kennedy incarnate, Barack Obama now aspires to inspire the rest of America with his style, while instilling confidence in his questioned substance. It will be no easy task. Subtle position shifts and wardrobe additions have already demonstrated the tightrope that he is treading, and may threaten to chink his invaluably shining armor.

Is he the real deal, or a fraud? Pundits and the public alike wait to see whether the demands of the upcoming campaign will prove his mettle or corrupt his ideals.

McCain -- Maverick or Mimic?

Universally hailed as a hero, John McCain is often given a free pass on his personal background by virtue of his POW status...but with his presidential nomination presumably sealed, is it time to remove his veil and our kid gloves?

How many voters realize that the affable, acceptable driver of the "Straight-Talk Express" has a sketchy political record, a sordid private life and an upbringing that mirrors the despised executive that he seeks to replace?