Originally Posted by Texpat

The mettle of any president is determined as much by current events as it is by the character of the man. It's hard to say how history will unfold during the next four years. If a president is forced into relatively few important decisions, it's a skate in the park -- and in the absence of real determinants, he'll be judged on the economy.

If on the other hand, he's forced to make difficult decisions, the true leadership and moral characteristics come into play. I don't think there's any doubt as to which candidate has the experience and knowledge of domestic and world politics to be a good leader. What it's boiling down to is this: is a fresh face more important than an experienced leader?