Obama is the president America needs, according to many U.S. citizens in Athlone

The large and reasonably populous State of Minnesota is always a significant prize in a U.S. presidential election. Senator Barack Obama is ahead there in the polls, and if he wins the State next week his victory will have been achieved with the help of an absentee ballot from Kiltoom resident Mary Mannion. 'I always make an effort to vote because I think it"s so important,' said Mary, who will be glued to the news coverage in the early hours of next Wednesday morning as vote tallies from this historic election begin to accumulate. Mary and the other locally-based U.S. citizens who were interviewed for this article may be thousands of miles from their native land but in general their interest in this election - and the issues which underpin it - has not been diminished by distance. An instructor with the Athlone Taekwon-do Academy, Mary has been living in Ireland for the last 13 years. She explained the reasons why she recently cast her vote for the Democratic nominee. 'I just think we need a change. Living abroad, it"s clear to me that America needs to form strong international relationships but the Republicans haven"t put enough emphasis on building up those partnerships with other countries,' she said. Mary supported Senator Obama during his long primary contest with Hillary Clinton. 'I think he can be a president for a new generation. He"s very intelligent, has lots of energy, and a good attitude. He is able to bring people of different races together, while the Republicans seem to be focused on pulling people apart.' She felt that the recent endorsement which Senator Obama received from Republican and former Secretary of State Colin Powell was a major boost for his campaign. 'He"s so well-respected that his endorsement should hopefully move some undecided voters into the Obama camp.' Reading U.S. newspapers - such as The New York Times - online has allowed Athlone resident Yasmin Chaudhry follow the election closely. Yasmin, from Long Island, New York, has lived in Ireland for approximately four years and voted for John Kerry in 2004. Her support for Obama is emphatic. 'He"s a level-headed, intelligent person who"s willing to compromise and negotiate, which is in stark contrast with McCain who is hot-headed, arrogant, and frightens me a lot. He seems unstable and has a terrible temper, which is not the type of personality the country needs at the moment.' Crystal Doyle, who is married to a Castledaly native, Sean, and moved to Moate last December, feels it"s imperative that the Democratic party regains the White House. Though she is a native of Florida, a Southern "Red" or Republican-leaning State, Crystal has little time for the conservative establishment. 'I don"t agree with the Republicans for a few reasons,' she said. 'One is their opposition to abortion rights. I think a woman"s body should be her own business and she should have the right to choose. I"m also against the war. I don"t know why we"re fighting and I don"t think we have any business being there.' Most political analysts believe that Senator McCain"s selection of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential nominee was an attempt to attract the female vote. If that was his intention it may have backfired, as all three women interviewed for this article expressed serious reservations about the "hockey mom" from Alaska. 'Sarah Palin frightens the living daylights out of me,' said Mary. 'When she"s not delivering scripted talking points she doesn"t seem to have any ideas or concepts of her own.' Yasmin said: 'I thought it was insulting to women to assume that Hillary Clinton supporters would support McCain just because he picked a woman to be vice president.' '(Palin) seems to be a little crazy, which is a shame because it would be great to have a woman in that role,' commented Crystal. 'I think Hillary would have been a great president. During the primary I was on the fence when it came to choosing between her and Obama.' American ex-pat Joe Howard, living in Monksland, is the Athlone coordinator for the Irish American Football Association. He organises American Flag Football training for youngsters and hopes that with assistance from others (his number is 086 2793943) he can build the sport"s popularity in the area. Discussing the election, Joe said: 'I watch the news like everybody else, and I take an interest in events over there, but I can"t say it"s the first thing on my mind each day. 'I expect Obama to be elected. I think John McCain would have been a better president than Bush - it"s just too bad he didn"t get in eight years ago. I think it"s too late for him now. It"s not that he"s too old, or old-fashioned, it"s just that it appears the country is punishing the Republicans for what has happened over the last eight years.' Mary Mannion was proud that her native State voted for John Kerry in 2004, and while she feels that Minnesota will again go to the Democratic candidate she is nervous about his prospects nationally. 'He"s ahead in the polls but I"d like to see him further in front,' she said. There are concerns that the so-called "Bradley effect" - named after Tom Bradley, an African-American politician who was ahead in the polls but ended up losing a bid to become Governor of California to a white opponent in 1982 - may be seen again next week. Crystal fears that race will be the decisive factor in this election. 'I hope I"m wrong but I don"t think America is ready for a black president,' she stated. 'I was recently listening to National Public Radio (an American news and current affairs network) online. I heard an interview that made my skin crawl. It was with a woman who had a strong Southern accent and she said that she was not supporting Barack because if he got into office he would only look after "his people" - meaning black people. 'I want to see a Democrat in power, but I don"t think it will happen this time,' she said. Yasmin disagreed that race will prove a stumbling block for Obama. 'If the economy was more normal then race would probably come into it more, but people are so concerned about the economy now and I think that will be the main influence on their decision,' she commented. We will find out for sure next week, as the curtain goes up on the final act of a fascinating campaign.