It will be interesting but the next president will be so handcuffed by budget constraints we are going to be in for a few years of grinding no matter who is elected. Basically it won't make a great deal of difference because the next president won't have a lot of choices.

Value judgements aside, Reagan ended the cold war but borrowed heavily from Clinton to do so. If you remember Clinton's first budget passed the house by 1 vote and the senate by a tie break vote cast by Al Gore. The reason: there was almost no pork in that bare bones budget and it lead to some of surpluses of the Clinton era. Now, to say Bush has borrowed from Obama/McCain is an understatement. Whatever pain the country endured in '93-'96 will be economic child's play to the austerity the next president will face.

Thinking of retiree issues, I can easily see means testing for social security as well as other entitlements, higher capital gains and corporate taxes, elimination of the Bush tax cuts, higher interest rates and higher unemployment. Perhaps only the current housing mess will save the mortgage exemption.

These things will have to happen as a matter of the coutry's economic survival and not a matter of politics or party, regarless of who is elected.