Will Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama Make a Stronger Opponent for John McCain?

With John McCain now the likely Republican nominee for the White House, how does he compare to Hillary and Obama on the issues and where would he be strong or vulnerable in a debate with either?

It might be helpful to start with a scorecard on three issues, abortion, immigration and Iraq. Then look at each candidate's position from two perspectives, their official and web site position and their previous or less well known position on the same issues.

The official positions as mentioned on their respective web sites are as follows:

McCain is pro-life with an additional mention of the flawed nature of Roe v. Wade. On immigration McCain's web site mentions strong borders but is vague on the amnesty bill that he formerly helped author and support. His site is unequivocal on the Iraq war. His site mentions commitment and new strategies and acceleration of political and economic reconstruction.

Hillary's web site mentions a pro-choice position and her championing of the Prevention First Act. The site mentions, like the other candidates, strong borders and reform but avoids mention of the amnesty bill, which she voted for. On Iraq, Hillary's web site speaks of 'out now' and predictably only mentions Bush and not Congress regarding authorization for the war.

Obama's web site does not have a clear mention or menu item for his pro-life position. His site is also vague on the amnesty bill issue, which he voted for and he, like the others mentioned strong borders. On Iraq the site mentions Obama's 'different judgement' on the war and places blame on Congress and the President for what he called a 'rash war'.

The reason for the scorecard here is to point out a candidate's possible vulnerability to a 'flip flop' accusation or the exposing of a veiled position by an opponent. In the past the candidates have been reported mentioning different positions when speaking to different groups. Some are as follows:

One of the most noticeable is John McCain's position on amnesty for illegal or undocumented persons living in this country. But with Obama and Hillary both supporting the same bill, no real points could be deducted for McCain and in a debate his switch is easily defensible as a move to bow to the will of the American people. With the bill originating from the Kennedy- McCain Amnesty Plan, Obama would have a particularly difficult time using the issue in a debate with McCain.

On abortion the lines are clearly drawn along the party positions and no one has recently changed. Media Matters .org mentions Hillary's support of a ban on late term abortion so long as there were exceptions for the health and life of the pregnant woman, but her voting record is clearly pro-choice, so no vulnerability here. Obama is walking a thinner line with black voters regarding abortion. American Heritage.com sites a Pew Poll that reported that 59 percent of black voters believe that abortion should be illegal in all but a few extreme circumstances. This may be the reason that the issue is a hard one to find a clear position on in Obama's web site. McCain could easily use this issue in a debate against Obama.

On the Iraq war only Hillary is vulnerable to McCain with her initial support for authorization for the war. I believe McCain will make much of this fact both in speeches and debates if Hillary wins the nomination. Obama will hold a strong position in any debate against McCain regarding the Iraq war.

With these few issues considered, which candidate makes a stronger opponent for John McCain? With Hillary vulnerable on the war and Obama vulnerable on abortion with some black voters, I believe it's a toss up.