Let me start this thread by saying that I reside outside of the United States and have been watching the whole election saga unfold with great interest but do not actively favor any of the two presidential candidates.

... My question is that despite the fact I get this strong impression that the American people are sick and tired of the current government and its policies and seem to actively 'loathe' George Bush as their leader, then how come the Republican party is still in with a chance to possibly win leadership again at the end of 2008???

I ask this because the experience we had with our recent government change was completely different. We here in Australia have a two party system and with the previous political leader making some horrendous decisions, was literally driven out of the office - along with the party he was affiliated with. Sure we had our moments when the poll results were close and the Liberals had a slim chance of getting through but those moments were short lived and very rare.

An insight would be greatly appreciated

how could i have been so thick??? Off course the race thing matters. BBC recently did a study relating to the race issues within the current election campaign and it was astounding to see the results. Your post states the obvious but reminds us 'outsiders' of the realities on the ground.

Thank you for such an enlightening insight