By the time Sunday comes, the Democratic Party in the United States may have declared Sen. Barack Obama as the winner. Or maybe not. Sen. Hillary Clinton may don her political gloves and put up a fight until the very end.

In the Republican side, Arizona Sen. John McCain would pick up the party nomination over the former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee. Hands down!

My stand on this whole political warfare that has been going on for months? I am neither Republican (red) nor Democrat (blue). Independent? Definitely not.

Apolitical? Definitely, thus making me color blind.

Politics does not interest me. I have tuned it out all this time – the debates, the primaries, the caucuses. On a few occasions, I listened to Obama, Clinton, McCain and Huckabee, the frontrunners.

Rhetoric, that's what it sounds like to me. I hear the same spiel, same bombastic, almost believable stance. Politicians and their seemingly heartfelt promises as they face their constituents. Hillary even shed a tear or two. A gut wrenching display of emotions? Some people say it was more of a performance from the ice queen. For some, it was an act of desperation to win the primary in the Granite State (New Hampshire).

Change, Obama's battle cry resonates. Experience, Clinton repeatedly highlights her edge over her rival. Economic growth and opportunity and the dignity of life and traditional values, what McCain, the decorated war veteran and former POW, is all about. McCain professes to be a traditional conservative and not the liberal kind. Show the people that the American dream is still alive is Huckabee's main thing.

Then the glitzy side of politics unfolds. It is time for the stars to make their candidates known. Oprah and the Kennedys and even Robert de Niro are for Obama. Jack Nicholson, Barbara Streisand and Kimora Lee Simmons are for Hillary. Oh, and one Kennedy, Bobby Jr.

For the first time in quite a while, American politics is alive and invigorated by the rivalry of the two leading Democratic opponents. Obama is a star on his own, even adding a Grammy award last Sunday for Best Spoken Word album for the audio version of his book, The Audacity of Hope.

He is charming, young, eloquent and charismatic, Harvard educated. His bio is impressive. He attracts young voters who have made a huge impact in this year's

primaries and caucuses. He is the man for those who believe change is imminent, for those who are tired of the old way of politicking, for those who want to see the first Black American president, for those who ignored, forgave and believed his honesty when he admitted to smoking pot and doing cocaine, and for those who truly believe that he is the man who can bring the changes that this country needs.

Hillary on the other hand is a formidable force. She is labeled cold and stoic because she can go toe to toe with her male counterparts in the Senate. She can play with the big guys. Some think she is too ambitious. That makes me wonder because I don't think a man will ever be labeled as such. I have not heard that thrown at Obama or McCain.

The New York Times endorsed Clinton because of the “depth of her knowledge, force of her intellect and the breadth of her experience”. Alice Huffman, President of the California State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) also endorsed her. Huffman said that Clinton is “a staunch advocate for the rights of people invisible to our nation's government, including women, minorities, children, and seniors”.

The endorsements are important in the political race in this country. The New York Times is a highly respected newspaper outfit and Alice Huffman leads an organization for African Americans that is reputable and respected. The Kennedys belong to a political dynasty. Oprah is Oprah.

Clout is a definitive force that can win a race. The two leading parties have well-oiled political machines that work the grassroots as well as the powerhouses at the tune of millions and millions of dollars.

The primaries and the caucuses are crucial to the party nomination because it narrows down the number of candidates; it translates the votes into the number of delegates for a candidate that ultimately leads to his or her carrying the party banner in the November election after the Democratic Party convention in late August and the Republican Party convention in early September. Both conventions will declare the party candidate. Although we cannot discount the sprouting of an independent candidate come November.

During the height of the primaries and caucuses, I asked my Ame rican friends whom they would vote for. It is always interesting to see their reactions. Some hesitated to tell me, a few would not even divulge their candidate and others told me outright who and why. Majority would vote for their preferred party; you're either a democrat or a republican. A handful told me they would be voting for the lesser of two evils within the party.

The underlying difference could be summed up this way; the Democratic Party is for the working class, ethnic minorities, religious groups and labor unions. They are pro choice and for increasing taxes. The Republican Party is more socially conservative, economically libertarian; it supports lower taxes, emphasize the role of corporate and personal decision making in fostering economic prosperity; it believes that the private sector is more effective in helping the poor than the government; it opposes abortion and same-sex marriage.

One thing I also know is that party loyalty is a family decision as well as something that is handed down from generations. However, at a few parties recently, I conducted an unscientific mental survey among Filipinos who turned out to be pro-Hillary. Not knowing their party affiliation or the reasons why, a friend's comment reverberates in my mind. He clearly told me that white folks would vote for Obama because of guilt. See, you would think that all African Americans would automatically vote for Obama or all white people would vote for either Clinton or McCain. Not the case. The racial tension and discrimination that still exist in this country to this day plays a big role in people's choices. In the case of the Filipinos voting for Hillary, my mind wanders to ask, what do they have against Obama? His lack of experience? I don't buy that at all. Reverse racism? Maybe. Anything is possible.

Americans take what these two major parties stand for very, very seriously. The political stalwarts in this presidential race are well equipped, ready and have stellar resumes.

Here's my dilemma. I am leaning towards the Democratic Party only because they go down and dirty with the people. The Republicans tend to have that off-the-distance persona. A lot of the really rich are Republicans. These people have tax shelters while the working class work for every buck that they make and pay higher t axes. However, the Republicans are pro life and as a devout Catholic, I am pro life. But I don't oppose same-sex marriage either. The intent to be a loyal party voter is shut in my case. Hmmm…how does a coin toss sound?

My heart hopes for Hillary to win because she's really a smart cookie, has a lot of experience and a woman to boot. I'm all for empowerment and girl power! However, if Obama wins the nomination, he gets my vote in November.

One thing is certain. Come November, I will exercise my right to vote. In the meantime, let me check out Yes We Can, the Barack Obama music video on YouTube. And people wonder why he's winning?

Till next time, spread love, kindness and compassion wherever you go!!!