As this site is NOT a 501C3 entity I can openly endorse any political candidate I desire, however this is a theological website & not a political website so I am going to refrain from delving too far into politics. I do want to touch on the state of the current Republican Presidential candidates. I'm only going to focus on the Republicans because for the life of me I cannot figure out how a Christan can square their Christianity with the Democrat Party. Oh, I've seen some try, typically by claiming Jesus' mission was to the poor & so is the Democrat Party. Riiiiiight! Charity is much different than extortion. We'll say no more about the Democrat Party.

When Christians look at the field of Republican candidates they must be disillusioned. The field includes no one that would resemble Christian principles. I'm not saying the person has to have the exact same beliefs before I'll vote for them but come on – Mitt Romney is trying to pass off his allegiance to the Mormon cult as a noble attribute...well that was before he tried to tell us his being a Mormon didn't matter. The driving ideology behind a person doesn't matter??? Then why is he even a Mormon? It is one thing to vote for someone with no stated ideology, it is another to vote for someone with a cult as his ideology -- no matter how much we may like his platform.

Then we have the Ron Paul craze going on. I have lots of friends that laud this candidate. I can say I like his seemingly staunch consideration for Constitutional adherence but at the same time I think it is politically naive to think we can just withdraw from the world. Protectionism...fortress/bunker mentality always ends with a siege on that fortress & its ultimate defeat. Notice how every U.S. President typically runs as the “domestic candidate” but once he gets into office he has no choice but to deal with international issues. Ron Paul will be no different or he will cause the U.S. to become a fortress waiting to fall.

Rudy Giuliani while projecting himself as a strong supporter against the outward foes of America seems an ideological contradiction as a leader. How many times has the man been married? A man that cannot rule his own house? (1 Tim 3:4-5) There is also his history of very liberal support such as his support for homosexuality & abortion. Otherwise I like the guy & if my only consideration was terrorism I think he'd be a good choice.

Then we come to Fred Thompson. He is constantly being touted as THE conservative candidate but so far I have not seen anything spectacularly conservative about him. He seems like a typical “neo-conservative” hack which has been historically influenced by the way the political wind blows. I'm just not comfortable with voting for this guy.

Speaking of the shifting winds, John McCain is the epitome of indecision – unless a poll or a focus group of some sort tells him it will win him political clout. There have been too many things upon which McCain has compromised that makes me leery of him as president. We need a strong leader not a strong compromiser.

The “evangelical” candidate is supposed to be Mike Huckabee. I like a lot of what he is saying on his website but his history doesn't really support it. As governor of Arkansas he supposedly pardoned over 1000 convicts & among those 12 murders. He has said that everyone deserves a second chance & indeed this seems like a Christian principle...IF...those people were repentant Christians, otherwise the State's business isn't so much “compassion” but justice. This concerns me.

Duncan Hunter??? Who??? Sorry. The guy hasn't really said or done anything to bring attention. He could be a great guy but does he have a chance as long as he says & does nothing to bring his views to the forefront?

In conclusion, who is or ever is “the perfect candidate”? Unfortunately if it comes down to it, any of these guys (except perhaps Romney) will be a better choice than to have blatant socialists as president.

I am looking for a candidate with strong, clear convictions & a transparent ideology by which I can expect him or her to follow in decision making. I want an honest president that understands that we don't live in a fortress yet cannot & should not police every inch of the planet. And if that candidate shares Christian principles (which are more than just being “nice” to other people), then I will support such a candidate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2008#Republican_Party