Politics and Prophecy: The West Wing

So, just to gave a disclaimer, the purpose of this post is in no way to support a candidate for president, but simply to give credit where credit is due. Some credit is due to The West Wing.
If you have ever watched the show (it is no longer on), you know that the story revolves around the president and his staff. The final two seasons of the show (seasons 6-7) chronicle a presidential race after the main character (Martin Sheen) has completed his two terms as the president. Karina and I did not watch the show while it was on, but we got into it later on DVD. When we watched seasons 6 and 7 (about two years ago), I looked at the two candidates that they had running for president and I said to Karina, "They are running Obama against McCain." Allow me to make my case:
The Overview
On the West Wing, the Republican candidate was Arnold Vinick, played by Alan Alda. Vinick was an aging, well-respected senator who swept the Republican primaries. Vinick's age was brought into question over the course of the campaign, but he had some strong things going for him. He had great crossover appeal and had successfully worked with Democrats in the past. Working against him, however, was the fact that his pro-life stance was less than impressive. The far right had problems with Vinick because they wondered whether or not he would appoint pro-life judges.
The Democratic candidate was Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smitts. Santos was the first minority candidate ever to be nominated by a major political party. He was a young hispanic congressman who came out of nowhere to win a closely contested Democratic nomination. Santos was young and energetic, with two young children in the home. His youth attracted young voters, but his inexperience was brought up as a major issue.
Not Convinced?
Maybe that was enough to convince you. Maybe not. Here are some other factors:
1. When Matt Santos announced his candidacy for president, his speech centered on one buzzword: Hope. You may know that Barak Obama splashed onto the scene with his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. The title of the speech was The Audacity of (wait for it) Hope.
2. Matt Santos, although he was a Democrat, had an easier time talking about his Christian faith than did the Republican, Arnold Vinick. Vinick struggled to communicate with evangelical voters.
3. Santos' wife got dragged into some media issues and he sent a clear message that the press was to stay away from his wife. Have you been keeping up with current events with the Obamas?

Anyway, in case you are wondering, on The West Wing, Santos won an incredibly close race. To be fair, though, on The West Wing, by and large, the Democrats are the good guys, so Santos' win has to have that taken into consideration.