For the past year-and-a-half, much of the world has tuned in to the 2008 United States presidential election. And for good reason: what happens in America reverberates everywhere else.

To help gain a better understanding of this year's election process, the commercial attache of the US embassy in Sofia, Scott Pozil, gave a presentation on the matter at the International University College in Dobrich. He was in Varna at the time, and had agreed to stop by. Although his main forte lay in business and trade, he told the audience of mostly hotel management and business students, along with some high school pupils, that he also took an interest in the workings of government and politics.

But first, Pozil announced that that day, October 13, was a holiday in the US. His asking if anyone could name the occasion drew silence. The Bulgarians present neither knew that it was Columbus Day, nor were they particularly moved (though they might have been had they realised that one of the captains of Christopher Columbus' 17 ships on his second voyage to the Americas was one Alonzo de Ojeda. Some historians believe he was born Dragan in Lake Ohrid. Ojeda later led an expedition into what is now Venezuela. He gave it that name, meaning Little Venice, because some of the houses there where built on stilts over water).

Moving on to the election itself, Pozil spent the bulk of his 45-minute lecture going over its technicalities. "We have a rather complicated system," he told the audience, before elaborating on campaigns, the primaries, delegates, caucuses, party conventions, nominations and the general election.

When it came to the main candidates and parties involved, most in the audience had heard of the Democrats and Republicans and their respective nominees, senator Barack Obama of Illinois and senator John McCain of Arizona, "where I myself come from", said Pozil. He then handed out a sheet with a brief description of each man. "At 47 Obama has been characterised as a young, `generational' candidate, who has drawn comparisons with another `generational' leader. Do you know who?" "John F. Kennedy," answered a few students after some hesitation.

McCain, on the other hand, if he were to win, would, at 72, become the oldest elected president in US history, surpassing Ronald Reagan, who was 69 when he took office. As a young man in the US navy, McCain had flown combat missions over Vietnam until he was shot down and made a prisoner of war for more than five harrowing years. Many Americans admire McCain as a war hero.

Pozil went on saying how party conventions in the past 30 years had functioned less as an occasion to unveil a party's nominee, and more of an opportunity for their candidates to give uplifting speeches and present themselves to the nation. It was during the 2004 presidential election that Obama addressed the Democratic Party Convention, thus putting himself in the limelight and paving the way for his eventual entry into the 2008 presidential race.

"The big surprise came in Iowa, which held the first caucus in the election season," Pozil said. "Barack Obama won." His victory in Iowa placed him in a favourable position and helped set the stage for his later successes.

When it came to the electoral college, the Bulgarian interpreter, befuddled, said he didn't know how to translate the term. So Pozil went on to explain how it was a system of indirect election of US presidents used for more than 200 years. By the time he had finished, many of the students were busily chatting with one another. A few had even left the hall. The rector had to walk around to keep them still.

But now the forum was open for questions and comments. "Who `triumphs' or `profits' from the ongoing financial debacle?" Roumen Todorov, a local journalist, said. Pozil replied that whenever a foreign or economic crisis arises, people blame the incumbent and his or her party, in this case George W Bush and the Republicans. In this case, the Democrats emerge as "winners". "But whoever gets elected will inherit these problems come January 20 2009, when he is sworn in." Pozil confirmed that at the moment, according to opinion polls, likely voters had ranked the economy as their most pressing concern.

A student then asked who he would like to see win. "I'm sorry, but I cannot answer that… But I will be voting, via absentee balloting," Pozil responded. He did mention that in Bulgaria, people in various quarters have held different views as to who they think the next US president should be.
"What effects does the outcome of US election have on Bulgaria?" Pozil said that he saw no major changes or impact on US-Bulgarian relations regardless of who won, and that ties between the two countries would remain close.

Asked by another if he could give a quick run-down of the main platforms of McCain and Obama on key issues like the economy, taxes and Iraq, Pozil admitted that would be difficult, as he was not an expert on in-depth political analysis.
Having said that, he echoed some well-known postures. "Obama favours withdrawing US forces from Iraq, much earlier than McCain proposes." He added that Obama has stated many times that "we should have never gone into Iraq in the first place", and as a senator, he had voted against military intervention. On the economic front, both candidates have supported the multi-billion dollar bail-out plan put forward by the US Congress.

Nevertheless, both men and their parties differ in their political philosophies and agendas. McCain's detractors portrait him as belonging to Dubya's "ole boys' club", while critics of Obama suspect he is seeking to establish Big Government. Pozil recommended that everyone watch the televised debates to gain a clearer insight.
At the end of the lecture, one of the journalists jokingly said that it would be better for Bulgaria if the Democrats won. "We have more donkeys here than elephants...but for Kenya it would be the opposite."