I was at the gym last night in my own little world, thoughts percolating and I was suddenly shocked to realize “hey, this could be a blog post!” Obviously, we Girlz aren’t having so many of those moments lately…

Now to be honest, this isn’t really a PR topic…though maybe you could make the argument that it is in some ways. (Gee Jos, you’re finally writing a post, get to the point, will ya?) So in case you didn’t know, I’m American. Not dual, just American. Now I’ve lived here since I was three and am a permanent resident (so yes, I can work here legally) but my passport is American. And I can vote on Super Tuesday next week in the California primaries. As it happens, I’ll be there then for a family thing so it works out quite well. Here’s where you come in: I can’t decide who to vote for. At first I thought it might seem unethical to ask internet strangers who I should vote for, but upon further reflection I realized that this year’s candidates are waging their battles more and more in the online space. Youtube, Myspace, they’re there. Many of them have blogs on their main site. So why shouldn’t I use this blog as a testing ground?

Here’s what you need to know to help. I’m a card carrying Democrat. Ok fine, I don’t carry a card (do they have a card?) but you get the point. It’s either Hillary or Barack. And I can’t decide.

I think Hillary has more experience. I like her. She’s intelligent, well-spoken and would make a fine leader of a country in need of such a thing. Bill’s indiscretions? Give me a break. He made a mistake, an error in judgment. Did that cost the Americans anything? No- it was personal but because he was the President and he chose an attention-wh**e, it became front page news. Bush’s “errors in judgment” have cost THOUSANDS of Americans and Iraqis their lives and has seriously damaged the US economy. Don’t get me started. Bill, in some ways, is a huge asset for Hillary. In other ways, I see him as a liability. He will have to stay out of the limelight while she’s in office so as not to take the focus off of her. I think he can do a lot as “First Laddie” but it will have to be under the radar and I don’t know if that’s possible. So that concerns me.

Barack is charismatic and I like him too. Goes without saying that he’s also intelligent and when I see him in interviews, he comes off very well. I like his wife. I think she could do a lot more as First Lady than Bill could in the role and you really are voting for them as a team. Having a great President is all well and good but if they don’t have strong support at home and a partner who’s willing to get out there and improve America, then the “great” President isn’t so effective. I don’t like Oprah’s endorsement of him. Not because she should have supported the female candidate, but because I think she made it more about race than it had been prior to her getting involved. Here’s my main concern with Barack and it does not make me proud of my country: they’re not ready for a black president. It’s not his time. Yes, most Americans would embrace the idea and don’t care what colour he is. But the ones that do? Look out; they’re the dangerous ones. If I were Michelle Obama, I would be afraid for the life of my husband and the father of my young children every time he ventured out. That’s the sad reality of it. Like I said, it pains me to think this, but there it is.

John Edwards? No thanks and here’s why: his wife is dying of breast cancer. Not right now and maybe not even in the next four years. And while I think it’s admirable of them to continue with their lives as though everything was fine, I think it’s dumb. Because at some point, she’s going to be very sick. And his focus would and SHOULD be on her and their very young children. But it wouldn’t be on America and that’s a problem to me.

So there you have it. Barack or Hillary. I go back and forth. Who gets your vote?