(cont.) Thoughts on politics

This is for Joe. In response to his comment on my post of the SNL video:

I do not want to reveal my choice for president on a big stage because I do not want it to be misconstrued nor do I want to really engage in a political debate. Politics is NOT my strong suit and my understanding of politics, history, and economics is probably just a tip of the iceberg. Hence, I am FAR from eloquent in political debates (and as a result, far from eloquent in stating reasons for supporting a specific candidate and reasons for not supporting the other)...I can never get the details straight of what policy does what, etc...it's often a numbers and facts game that I don't have the mind to play. At least, not on the big stage.
However, I will reveal my choice in person (not even over email really..) if you really do want to know my opinion. But that leads me to another point. Personally, I was getting so confused by all those opinions floating around...It happened in the last election and I didn't want it to happen again. In the end, I had to go and get the facts myself. I checked out the policies from each candidate addressing the major issues I believed had to be dealt with for the good of this country and for its future. I read the CNN and bbc news every other day. I prayed for the nation, for its leaders, for the upcoming election, and for the world. It is after that, that my choice for a president was sealed. So in the end, no one's opinion really factored into my decision. I will continue to pray and ask for guidance and wisdom until my vote is cast.

I will say this. Rick Warren recently wrote an article for the Ladies Home Journal talking about what he thinks people should look for in a president. I agree most strongly with him on 2 of his points. 1) Compassion and 2) Clear conscience.
1) A leader of the country (whether president, king, or dictator), if he loves the people more than he loves himself, more than he loves leading, more than he loves his position...if he TRULY loves the people, then he will be a great leader. He doesn't have to be a Christian. But he has to love the people more than anything else (yes, sometimes even more than family...). (Note: love for one's country is not necessarily love for its people).
2) "Personal integrity is vital because leadership is always built on trust" - Trust. I must be able to trust my president. He must be truly trustworthy. It is something that is built in to his character. THIS characteristic (along with love), I believe, are the 2 greatest predictors of how a leader will lead.

The 2 main presidential candidates that we have right now differ greatly in just these 2 characteristics. Stark, black and white, differences. And that is the most public challenge I will make.