The Queen's undergraduate is following the presidential race between Barrack Obama and John McCain with added interest, in his placement with the BBC.

Christopher's Blog

There is never a political campaign without point-scoring. Last evening I sat on the National Mall, watching 'The Candidate', starring Robert Redford. It is part of a series of films where US network HBO provide an enlarged screen and play films free to the general public. With the backdrop of the Capitol at dusk and the Washington Monument aglow, it was apt that we should watch a film about a Senate candidate, who tries to play fair, and hopes to break the mould.

Regardless of the outcome in November, 'change' will be the buzz word. Change from an administration with the lowest approval rating of any U.S. President. Change from stagnant policies on the economy, global warming, and the reality of global terrorism. Change, regardless of who gets elected.

Ideologically they couldn't be much further apart, yet Senators McCain and Obama share the same priorities, and are tackling the exact same issues.

Point-scoring, however, is clearly taking hold.

In a campaign that has already broken boundaries, Barack Obama is at present embarking on an historic tour of the Middle East and Europe, visiting countries ranging from Iraq, Afghanistan, the UK and France. In his bid to relay fears over his foreign policy credentials, Obama has utilised the opportunity to show off his role as commander-in-chief. Meeting with leaders and senior military officials, it has been criticised as both an arrogant victory parade and praised as an incredibly smart political manoeuvre. If the results of this trip resonate at home, it could be the telling point.

McCain's campaign is focusing on this trip too. Obama has called to withdraw troops from Iraq completely within 16 months of the inauguration, and instead focus on the 'central front against terror' in Afghanistan. This has been widely scrutinised by the media and his Republican competitors. McCain today stated that he would 'rather lose a political campaign and win a war', instead of his opponent, who he argued would do anything to win a political campaign, if it meant running away in defeat.

Iraq, oil prices and failing healthcare. Those, I believe are the key issues in this campaign. The hype over 'Obama's new hope', McCain's veteran record, age, race etc are not that important. They may influence many young people to vote for the first time, or for older citizens to rally support, but this is now a time where people can't afford petrol to make it to work, when folks are choosing between heating their homes and eating well. The richest country and a beacon of Western civilisation it may be, but I challenge the reader to come to America and find the situation much more dier than what Hollywood suggests. At the BBC I have watched endless footage of House members trying to show their faces on camera and say big words than put them into action.

It is much the same as any country, not least our own, where a vast majority of people will vote according to ideology, their religious and moral convictions, or social class. It is the swing voters, and the battle ground states that will be hotly contested in November. I am confident that the Bush legacy will not impact too much on McCain. He has consistently been seen as much against his party line as often as he has supported it. The Obama camp characterise him as a 'Bush third term', yet America is still a highly conservative nation, and values tend to influence a vote more than issues. Abortion rights favoured over Iraq withdrawal is perhaps a reality in many states.

Iraq itself is an interesting situation to observe. Both candidates have appreciated the much more stable society in which the Maliki government appears to have established. Last years surge and extra deployments were highly unpopular, both in the States and abroad, yet there has been an evident calming in the sectarian tensions, at least in the short term. Afghanistan, I must contest, is the biggest problem. The front page of the Washington Post this last few weeks have been dominated by reports from the front line. The battle on the Afghan border with Pakistan is at a perilous stage. Six RIR soldiers were of course injured this week in the struggle to control Helmand province.

In the calls for withdrawal in Iraq, it has dawned on me the possible repurcussions this may have on British forces serving in the region. If Obama is elected and withdraws troops by mid-2010, will it leave British and Allied forces to fend for themselves, or will the UK also withdraw within the same process?

We are operating in Iraq within the 'coalition of the willing', but does it mean we are inextricably tied to American success, or if McCain were to win, will any Prime Minister bare the ramifications of pulling troops out without U.S. backing?

It is my personal opinion, but I feel this is an interesting concept, and only a small example of how important this election is on a global scale, not just the fifty states.

Obama has claimed that 'we must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were getting in', yet I do believe he may come to regret sticking so staunchly to a timeline, when the situation on the ground is constantly changing.

The choice of Vice-Presidential candidates too, will be crucially important. To nominate a governor or official who is supported in a swing state could be highly significant. The ability to work with said VP is equally important, but remember this is high politics, with a fortune invested, and a lot at stake. Not to be cynical, but winning is almost all that counts here in Washington D.C. 'Change' can happen afterwards.

I am grateful to have had the chance to experience high politics in my time here. In contrast, it is low politics, on-the-ground, day-to-day life issues that they need to concentrate on. It has made me feel priviliged to have grown up in Northern Ireland. As a student I may complain about top-up fees, but at least I don't have to pay tens of thousands of pounds a year for the opportunity. We may grumble about medical waiting lists, and of course rightly so, but if anything, America could desperately do with a national health service.

I have stated it before, yet whoever gets elected will have to reclaim the American dream for a whole new generation. People here feel patriotic, and fly their flag with sincerity, but there are endemic problems that I feel are not being discussed. Here I write in the U.S. Capital, among the richest of the rich, the most powerful of the world, and if I can notice these problems in this city, I dread to think what the homeless in New Orleans feel like, or the veteran who cannot claim social security.

The U.S. media virtually ignore these problems, more concerned with ratings or staying in someone's good books. I am thankful that the colleagues in my office are passionate about these subjects, yet remain wholly impartial.

Our Program has met recently with the Deputy Director of the Peace Corps. This organisation was set up by President Kennedy to offer young Americans the chance to experience other cultures, to build relations and to show the true image of the principles that the U.S. was founded under. It was an eye opening discussion, but then I see the same ideals in the people of Northern Ireland.

As a community we have been through a lot, but right now I feel we have more to teach to the world than they do to teach to us.