"Out of a nation of 304 million, is this the best we have?"

That was how Roy Barnes, former governor and lifelong Democrat, replied when asked about the presidential contest featuring Republican John McCain and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

"I'm not excited about any of them," Barnes added.

His first choice was John Edwards. "If he'd received the nomination they'd be measuring drapes in the White House right now," Barnes allowed.

This election "won't be about the war in Iraq," he predicted. "It's too far removed. We have an all-volunteer army, unlike it was with Vietnam." And he said there are fewer casualties from close to home for most Americans.

"The election will be about the economy and the price of gasoline," he said. "If gas is high and stays high, the Democratic nominee has got a chance. If the price moderates and the economy picks up, that increases the chances of Sen. McCain.

"The longer this primary drags out between Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton, the more it strengthens Sen. McCain."

What about Obama's former pastor and his anti-America ranting?

"Jeremiah Wright has done more in a week to damage Barack Obama's campaign than Hillary Clinton has in the entire campaign," Barnes said.

"He frightens me. I've been to a lot of black churches over the years and I've never heard anything like that. It gives Americans the wrong impression of what goes on in African-American churches. I have found them to be very patriotic. As Condoleezza Rice said: 'African-Americans loved America when America didn't love African-Americans.'

"Jeremiah Wright is very destructive in two ways: in what he did to Barack Obama and also what he did to African-American churches."

Barnes will skip the Democratic National Convention although he was a delegate four years ago.

"I don't want to go to this one," he said.

Barnes was asked to speculate about possible vice-presidential choices. He named a few - maybe a Clinton running mate from the Midwest, possibly Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana; someone with foreign policy experience for Obama, perhaps Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and a candidate with domestic policy strength for McCain, "like my old friend Tom Ridge," the former Homeland Security director.

"One thing that's not going to happen: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are not going to be on the same ticket," Barnes declared. "There's just too much personal feelings."

Was he surprised that the late General Assembly session bogged down with Republicans fighting among themselves and getting little done?

"Yes - and not pleasantly," Barnes said. "I would say to Democrats and Republicans alike: There is a place to be very partisan and that is election time. But after the elections, you have to take some difficult stands that may not be what you want. I would urge all, particularly the leadership, to put Georgia's fiscal affairs in order.

"We need to invest in our future and not in political bickering."

dmckee9613@aol.com

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