McClatchy: Obama, McCain are a study in contrasts in an unusual year

Obama, McCain are a study in contrasts in an unusual year

By David Lightman | McClatchy Newspapers


WASHINGTON — The John McCain-Barack Obama election looks like one of the clearest choices in years, but history also shows that presidential contests rarely unfold along logical paths.

The competition at first glance is a quick study in contrasts.

McCain is 71, a Vietnam War veteran who's trying to become the oldest person ever elected to a first term.

Obama's 46, a native of Hawaii and a one-time Chicago community organizer who's trying to become the first black person to win the White House.

McCain is a usually loyal Republican with an independent streak; he's voted with his party 88.3 percent of the time in the current Congress, well above his Republican colleagues' average. He likes the idea of making President Bush's tax cuts permanent and thinks that the Iraq war remains a vital U.S. interest and a noble cause.

Obama is a fiercely loyal Democrat with his own independent thoughts. He's voted with his party 96.4 percent of the time since January 2007. He regards the Iraq war as a tragic mistake and wants to cut taxes for the middle and poorer classes while raising them on the wealthy.

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