Real Life: Elections (2)

I usually wait until the presidential ......... before making up my mind about my vote. When I watch the two main candidates argue their points, I feel like I learn a lot about them as people and how well formulated their ideas are.
arguments
debates
discussions
contests

America has the goal of spreading ......... world-wide, which is good but it sure makes armed conflicts last a long time when the military has to wait for a government to be installed and to function properly.
republicanism
democracy
socialism
fascism

So far, I haven't heard the Democratic candidate's stand on any of the more ......... topics like abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, immigration and others of that ilk. Until I hear what he has to say on those, I am not going to make up my mind on whom I am voting for yet.
marginal
agreeable
biased
controversial

When is the actual presidential .........? I always forget when it is. I should know because I want the current president out of office as soon as possible.
changing
switch
decision
election

Henry was talking about running for mayor but I don't think it is a good idea. He is smart and a hard worker but he isn't much of a .......... He doesn't motivate people and doesn't work very well with others. Also, he is meticulous but doesn't see potential opportunities very often.
general
commander
leader
controller

"Do you think Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a good .........? I think he has done a better job than Gray Davis but I think California is big enough that we could find someone who could do better.
congressman
mayor
general
governor

I heard President Obama is going to ......... a new Supreme Court justice soon. To me, that is very exciting. The new person will be interpreting America's laws for the rest of his or her life. I hope he chooses wisely.
enslave
appoint
order
mandate

In the United States, there are two main political .........: the Republicans and the Democrats.
parties
factions
armies
combatants

I didn't think President George W. Bush was very good at giving .......... He is obviously an intelligent guy. He made it as far in the political system as one could go but he sounded dumb when he addressed the people. I never felt motivated or moved by them either.
oratories
statements
messages
speeches

Although Democrats and Republicans are opposites in the political arena, the candidates who recently ran for office have been pretty .......... It was hard to tell whether each was a Republican or a Democrat if you just listened to them speak. Neither appeared to be very right-wing or left-wing.
middling
mediocre
centrist
average