Truthfully, I don't like any of the candidates, so it comes down to ideology. More often than not, no matter what the issue, government is the problem rather than the solution, and the larger the government gets in relation to the size of the total economy, the more freedom is diminished. If a Libertarian candidate had a shot at winning, I'd vote for him. Since that's not the case, I'll hold my nose and vote McCain as the lesser of the two evils.
I'm afraid ideology is completely lost in today's political environment. The Govt under this current admin is the largest in the history of our country.
My candidate was Ron Paul. Unfortunately, Ron knows that today's political climate would never give him a real chance. Even if he did win somehow, he'd never be able to get rid of all the bureaucracy. Ron made his run based on ideals, not a real shot - otherwise he'd be running as a 3rd party candidate.
However, with the current candidates, I would have to vote for Obama. Barack gives us a fighting chance, at the very least. If McCain gets in, the war machine will continue on. We just can't keep engaging in these pointless wars. McCain is a continuation of the Neo con agenda - and anyone in a right frame of mind just can't let these folks have a crack at it.
Ok, forget about foreign policy, let's talk economics. If McCain had picked Romney, things might be much different. Although a flip-flopper (who isn't?), Mitt is BRILLIANT and knows how to run a business. The guy is a proven winner. Unfortunately, the money was backing McCain and Mitt never had a chance. In light of the Palin pick and McCain's age, I have to go with Barack.
Whether you want to talk about economics or foreign policy, the McCain/Palin ticket makes no sense.