By Wesley Hackenberg

(Jonny Lopez)
By Wesley Hackenberg
With the presidential election approaching in November, the amount of publicity each candidate is receiving, good and bad, is steadily growing each week.
After the announcement of Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden as the vice presidential nominees, they became more important to the presidential campaigns, than those in previous elections.
Recently, CNN aired two one-hour documentaries on each vice presidential candidate. The stories covered their personal lives, past scandals, and accomplishments, and finally built up to their involvement in today’s politics.
It is easy to see why many people think the coverage is too extensive, but if you take a minute to reflect on the important role these people could potentially play in our lives, it is justifiable.
Take, for example, our current administration with George Bush and Dick Cheney, and the impact they have made on our nation.
Though Bush is the brains – or lack thereof – of the operation, Cheney has had an enormous amount of influence on the direction our country has been going.
I have never heard of a vice president that has exercised so much individual power and administrative involvement.
While we are in classrooms and spending time with friends, Cheney is meeting with presidents of Israel and Pakistan and pointing fingers at Russian authority for having “larger objectives.”
Now with a war in the Middle East, a debt increasing quickly into the trillions and a market slipping away into the black hole of confusion, we don’t need to be provoking unnecessary battles with one of the strongest powers on this planet.
This is why we need to closely analyze the successor to this office that we are all ready to take in a different direction.
With a revolutionary election upon us, being informed about our candidates should be very important to us, encouraging us to absorb all of the information we can.
For example, there is an ongoing argument about John McCain’s being treated for melanoma, where he may not be around to serve his four-year presidential term, if elected.
Now, if anything were to happen to the aging, brittle McCain, this relatively unknown “hockey mom” from Alaska could very well be the first woman president of the United States of America.
Many people question if Palin is experienced enough to handle the position she is pursuing.
As a full-time mother of five with the second-oldest expecting a child, and the youngest a 5-month-old diagnosed with Down Syndrome, people are asking whether Palin is equipped to take on the additional responsibilities of becoming our nation’s vice president.
The other, perhaps more promising, contender for vice president, is Biden, the running mate of Sen. Barack Obama.
Biden is the less publicized of the two candidates, because he has no current controversy working against him.
Even so, the senator has more experience alone than Palin and Obama combined.
Biden was elected to the senate at 30 years old, the minimum age requirement to serve. He became the fifth youngest senator in the history of the U.S., and has served for 35 years.
In 2008, Biden attempted to run for president for the second time. In 1988 he dropped out after the Iowa caucuses did not result in his favor.
The presidential race is not just blue against red anymore; one man versus another. It is a team effort.
This “team” will decide our fate as Americans.
The leader will determine the direction of the nation, and the second in command will help to guide that decision.
Could you believe in a government if you knew only half of its rules, half of its values and half of its thoughts?
When considering the coverage of vice presidential candidates, it is obviously much more beneficial to be knowledgeable than ignorant, if to gain nothing more than the truth.
When going forward to cast your vote this November, do your homework, so that you can trust that the team you choose is worthy of your confidence.