Babe's Eye View article

Never in any period of American history have contrasts between rival presidential candidates been as pronounced as they are today with Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. The 71-year-old McCain was a former navy pilot and was a prisoner of war in a Vietnamese camp.

His father and grandfather were admirals in the US Navy, and McCain's military experiences (he was born in a US naval station in the Panama Canal zone) and schooling most likely shaped his hard line views on Iraq.

The 46-year-old Obama, on the other hand, was born in Hawaii of a Kenyan father and a white mother, spent some years in Indonesia then moved back to the US where he graduated from the University of Columbia and obtained a law degree from Harvard.

Aside from color and age (the widest gap between two US presidentiables was previously that of Bob Dole and Bill Clinton at 23 years in 1996), the differences between the two can also be glaring when it comes to policy on healthcare, alternative fuel or immigration.

A recent poll by the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post indicate that if the US elections were to be held today, Obama would trounce McCain in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Michigan and in critical states like Virginia and Ohio. A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey also revealed Obama leading by a comfortable margin of 12 points or 49 to 37 percent.

Experts, however, warn that it's too early to tell, pointing to past elections where last minute surprises have been known to happen. As the Gallup Poll editor pointed out, "Where a candidate is in the summer certainly is not necessarily predictive of where they will be in November," recalling Ross Perot in 1992, John Kerry in 2004 and Michael Dukakis in 1998—all of whom were frontrunners whose presidential bids ended in defeat.

While domestic issues like the economy and healthcare are at the forefront, national security and foreign policy will figure heavily in the November elections. A big challenge for the new American president—whoever he may be—is maintaining alliances with Asian nations.

While America will be focused on Iraq and the Middle East since "mortal threats" come from that direction, US treaty allies like Japan, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, and most especially, the Philippines all play a critical role in maintaining security in the region and ultimately, for the US.

While there may have been periodic hiccups in RP-US relations—the Philippine Senate's rejection of a new treaty extending the lease of the US bases in Subic and Clark in 1991 and of course, let's not forget the withdrawal of Philippine troops from Iraq in 2004—no question the ties remain strong to this day.

Obviously it's now "let bygones be bygones," judging from the warm reception given to GMA. Bush has always had a special liking for GMA, perhaps because they have a lot of things in common aside from being the children of former presidents. However, the absence of Condoleezza Rice during the one-on-one meeting between GMA and Bush at the White House fueled speculations that Condi has not really forgotten GMA's decision to withdraw the token 50 Filipino policemen from Iraq at a time when the US really needed the presence of its allies. Some say it's a "woman thing," but in fairness to Condi Rice, her European and Asian tour have long been set before GMA's working visit.

Historically, Republicans have always been more supportive of the Philippines, from Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan and the two Bushes. Aside from being a staunch supporter of the US, the Philippines' shared experiences with America during World War II have strengthened ties even more. To this day, many Filipinos revere Douglas MacArthur as the country's liberator from Japan. But of course, it was a Democrat like Bill Clinton who rekindled the "cold" relations that developed after the US withdrawal from Clark and Subic in 1992. And not to forget, GMA and Billy Boy were classmates at Georgetown University.

As of this writing, I am told GMA will be flying back to Washington for the scheduled meeting with McCain which is pushing through. With the growing number of Filipinos now residing in the US—approximately three million with a few "TNTs," it's not surprising for the two presidential candidates to court the vote of the Fil-Am community, the second biggest minority group outside of California.

George Bush knows the potential of Filipinos only too well considering that there are at least 30 Fil-Ams working in the White House, and he must have strongly advised McCain to juggle his schedule to make way for the meeting with the Philippine president.

Even Obama—who received some flak for postponing his meeting with GMA—has the Philippines very much in his radar. Early on, he released a statement welcoming the Philippine president, expressing his condolences for the super ferry casualties, pretty much reiterating his statement to Fil-Ams during the Philippine Independence Day.

Like the Jews whose clout in American politics is well-known, Filipinos can turn themselves into an influential voting block if they only unite. But with more than 100 scattered associations, this is a difficult task as many ambassadors like Ernie Maceda and Albert del Rosario can attest to.

But then again, need we ask why? Even at home, Filipinos continue to be torn apart by political differences. Be that as it may, the historic partnership between our two countries—bolstered by the growing presence of Filipinos in the US—will continue to endure regardless of who sits in the White House next.