Taking a step back to look at the presidential race it is clear that the 2008 presidential election is quite unusual and already full of surprises.

Most surprising is the abrupt end of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s bid for the Republican nomination and the emergence of John McCain as the presumptive Republican Nominee.

The success of Barack Obama also comes as a surprise. It is not as much of a surprise as Giuliani’s failed campaign, but although he was seen as a strong candidate, the fact that he has put Hillary Clinton on the ropes was not expected. Nor did anyone expect that the Democratic nomination would at this point in time still be open.

It is an unusual election because for the first time one of the candidates from the major parties will be a minority. If Hillary Clinton does become the candidate, it will be the first time that a woman will run for president. If Barack Obama receives the nomination, he will be the first non white presidential candidat

Aside from these obvious uniquenesses there are many more things that make this election unusual. The eight years of the Bush presidencies has put the United States in an awkward position. The U.S. has engaged in a so called war on (Islamic) terrorism with active theaters in Afghanistan and Iraq. The attack on Iraq was the most obvious use of preventive force made by the United States in its history and has increasingly alienated the country in the world. The fight against terrorism has also led to an unprecedented infringement on basic freedoms domestically, which has divided the country. The fact that Bush became president itself is controversial.

Given these circumstances the Republican campaign is extremely unusual. In a time of war a change in leadership is unusual. The fact that our constitution only allows two terms does not allow Bush to run for another term. Unlike Russia, where the same rules apply, the ruling party or political group supporting the president has not taken steps to ensure that they remain in power. Instead of attempting to pass the office to someone they believe will continue the policies and agenda, it seems a power vacuum has emerged. John McCain does not belong to the Bush camp and is surely not their first choice. The Bush camp has withdrawn.

The Democrats on the other hand are confronted with two unique but also very strong candidates. The fight for the nomination is a result of the primary process that has developed since the 1970s, where state party officials have increasingly lost their influence in selecting the presidential candidate. The rise of the grass roots influence, which is made possible by the primary process, has seemed to have overpowered the influence of the party officials. This may turn the nomination process into a struggle of officials against popular opinion. Who knows best the party dignitaries of the public? Will the party office holder relinquish their power? What impact will if have on the general election? These questions have never been so prominent.

This is an unusual election in an unusual Time.

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