Jenna Mckay, Staff Reporter

The 2008 election is looking to be just as controversial as the two that succeeded it.  Several top names are vying for the chance to become leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world.
How are Americans going to know who is suitable to lead them in the right direction?  What is the right direction?
CSU Monterey Bay students have strong opinions about what next leader should possess.
Humanities and Communications Senior Christine Mata believes our next leader needs to “do things like put more money into education instead of some stupid war.”  She adds, “someone [who] understands equality and won’t choose a ridiculous side of an argument just to win more votes.” 
Business Senior Nicholas Reidenour takes on a similar stance: “disengage from warfare as much as possible.  This is unconventional thinking these days, but I think that our military should be much smaller, and our politicians need to stop misusing it.”
Some of the hot topics for this upcoming presidential election are abortion rights, immigration reform, the war in Iraq, and same-sex marriages. 
CNN.com has broken down each of the candidates, their positions on these hot topics, as well as other information you may need to keep you up to date with the happenings of the tour to the White House.

Hillary Clinton
She is the former first lady, and current U.S. senator from New York.  Clinton supports abortion rights, and Bush-backed immigration reform.  She authorized construction of the 700-mile fence along the U.S.- Mexican border. 
When asked of her position on Iraq, she said she would’ve voted differently “if we knew what we know now.” 
Clinton wants to de-authorize the war now, and voted to have troops withdrawn by March 2008.  She supports a cap on American troops in Iraq and a phased redeployment plan. 
Clinton opposes same-sex marriage, but supports civil unions.  Believes any bans on same-sex marriages should be left to the states and not for the federal government to decide.  She is running on the Democratic ticket.

Barack Obama
He is the current U.S. Senator from Illinois and Democratic candidate.  He supports abortion rights for women, as well as the Bush-backed immigrant reform. 
Like Hillary, he voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. 
Obama is opposed to troops in Iraq, and voted to have them withdrawn by March of 2008.  At one point as senator, he called to have troops withdrawn by the end of 2006.  Obama opposes same-sex marriages, but supports civil unions.  He opposes having a federal amendment banning same sex marriages.

John Edwards
Edwards is a former U.S. Senator from North Carolina and 2004 Vice Presidential candidate.  He is running on the Democratic ticket. 
Edwards supports abortion rights and citizenship for some illegal immigrants.  He wants to work with Mexico to tighten security around the border. 
Edwards regards to his vote to send U.S. troops to Iraq a “mistake,” and supported troops’ withdrawal by March of 2008. 
He is opposed to sending additional troops to Iraq.  Edwards opposes same-sex marriages, as well as a federal ban on them.

Rudy Gulianni
The former Mayor of New York City is running on the Republican ticket. He supports abortion rights, as well as a path to citizenship for some immigrants. 
He believes they should pay back taxes, learn English and American history. 
Gulianni supports the fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as creating a tamper-resistant ID system for legal residents. 
He opposes a timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and supported sending more troops.  He says a failure in Iraq will lead to more of a regional conflict. 
Gulianni says marriage should be between a man and a woman, but supports domestic partnerships and legal benefits for same-sex couples.

John McCain
McCain is a current U.S. Senator from Arizona.  He opposes abortion rights except in the cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother. 
He supports a Bush-backed immigrant reform, and voted to authorize the construction of the fence on the U.S.-Mexican border. 
McCain voted for military use in Iraq, and supported Bush’s veto of the bill withdrawing troops by March of 2008. 
He supports the definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman.  Says a federal marriage ban might be appropriate.  He supports same-sex couple legal benefits.

Primary elections are held on February 5th in Calif., you must be registered to vote 15 days before the scheduled election to vote in it.  To register in Monterey County go to montereycountyelections.us, or go to the Monterey County Election Department, 1370 B South Main St., Salinas CA.  Registration forms are also available in post offices, banks, the Department of Motor Vehicles, or on the CSUMB campus in the library.