Hillary Clinton (D)

Senator from New York

Rick Rojas: Hillary Clinton represents both the promise and the failure of American politics. As an intelligent and capable woman, she climbed to the top of the political arena, becoming the woman closest to ever earning the presidency. She is President Bill Clinton's wife - which means if she serves two terms, freshman classes entering Texas A&M through as the Class of 2020 will have never lived in a time without a Bush or a Clinton as president.

Clinton is a well-educated woman who could probably be a solid executive, but we need more than that - we need a charismatic figure who can guide us into new frontiers. Idealists believe in a political culture in which the office should seek the man - or woman - not the person should seek the office. Clinton, however, has poorly veiled her pursuit of the presidency since she was first lady. As of now, she is the anointed one, on track to the Democratic nomination and continuing of an American dynasty, unless a serious misstep or an act of God pushes her to the side. One can only hope that happens.

David Morris: Hillary Clinton is the best of candidates and the worst of candidates. Almost half of the U.S. would not vote for her, even if she ran against the Prince of Darkness himself. She has her own brand of socialized medicine - the infamous Hillarycare - and in the eyes of those on the right, she is an outright socialist (after all, it takes a village). Her recent proposal to provide $5,000 for every newborn child only exacerbates this image. She has also angered many on the left by moderating her views to appeal to a wider audience, in particular suffering criticism from anti-war organizations for not taking a strong enough stance against the Iraq War, which she voted in favor of initially. Her stance on abortion alienates pro-life voters and ardently pro-choice voters in one fell swoop. And if you're a feminist, then "[she's] your girl." The Clinton brand is practically synonymous with scandal - from sex scandals, to investment improprieties, to the Hsu fund-raising imbroglio, they just can't manage to keep their noses clean - and as a result, many died-in-the-wool Democrats can't bring themselves to vote for another Clinton. Hillary won't win the election.

Unless . . .

Rudy Giuliani (R)

Former New York Mayor

David Morris: . . . unless Rudy Giuliani wins the Republican nomination. Giuliani may be America's mayor - he pulled New York up by the boot straps after Sept. 11, demonstrating leadership ability and strong executive experience - he is, however, a New York Republican. Giuliani is strong fiscally, having turned around New York's financial woes while lowering taxes. He supports American energy independence, takes a strong stance on terrorism and foreign threats to stability (such as Iran). He is, however, pro-gun control, pro-choice to the extent of supporting government funding for abortions and he supports civil unions for homosexual couples. This mix of positions may appeal to moderate voters, however his positions on gun-control, abortion and gay marriage just won't fly with the Republican Party's base. Evangelical leaders have promised to go third party if a strong pro-life candidate doesn't win the Republican nomination, which could mean a Clinton Whitehouse redux. Rudy Giuliani's nomination is Hillary's best hope for the presidency.

Rick Rojas: Rudy Giuliani is almost the same as Hillary Clinton. He's pro-choice. He supports gun control measures. He's pro-gay rights. He's been in a bad marriage - or two. He's tough on crime and strong on national security. And, with his affinity for publicly cross-dressing, he looks like a woman every once in a while,too.

For a party that has run on issues of morality and exclusion, seeing Giuliani lead the pack of Republican candidates is perplexing. He would be the perfect candidate for moderate voters. But by campaigning as a pseudo-conservative, twisting and hiding his own views as mayor and portraying himself as something that he has never been before is a trait of a president this country doesn't need.