Scheduled for November 7, 2006, the US midterm elections this year will elect four hundred thirtyfive (435) US congressmen, thirty-three (33) senators and thirty-six (36) state governors. In order to reflect the general public mood, US representatives are elected every two years, while one third of the one hundred (100) senators – each with a six years term –face reelection every two years. This year’s midterm elections, like the NBA finals, present many exciting matchup in both the House and the Senate. Some lawmakers are racing for reelection. Others will be retiring (or shall not be seeking reelection).

But what actually are midterm elections? And why are midterm elections important. How does it influence or shape the results of the presidential elections succeeding it?

Midterm elections are called such because they are conducted half-way through the four years term served by the US President. Although they are meant to decide who among the incumbent congressmen and senators shall stay in office, or believed to be an indication of the likely results of the Presidential elections that follow it for this reason, midterm elections are important for contesting political parties because the results of such will surely give a clearer shape of the forthcoming US government. The change of a Presidentiable can depend, to a large extent, in the prevailing political party in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Since 1994, the Republicans (to which incumbent US President Bush is officiated) have managed to prevail in number over their Democrat counterparts. However, with the growing discontent of some Americans with the way the Bush administration has been dealing with foreign issues such as that of the war on Iraq and the Iraq nuclear standoff, Democrats are seemingly gaining persuasive power (or at the very least Republicans, and President Bush, are recently coming up with lower approval ratings because of their stand on the above stated concerns). The present composition of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate pictures a narrow advantage to the Republicans. In the Lower House, 231 seats are held by Republicans as against the Democrats’ 201, one seat by an independent and two seats are vacant. The Democrats would only need to steal 15 seats in midterm elections to turn the balance of majority power to their side. On the other hand, from among the 100 seats in the US Senator, only 33 to be contested in the November elections. Presently, 55 seats have Republican incumbents while 44 belong to the Democrats. The latter group is only six seats shy of possibly becoming the new dominant political party in the US Senate.

There are actually diverse issues that may influence voters’ choice in the upcoming midterm elections. However, the most resounding of these issues are those of the War on Iraq and the United States’ firm policy on the nuclear stalemate in Iran. The Bush administration had repeatedly been criticized for its continuous military operations in Iraq despite the rising number of military and civilian casualties. Moreover, some reports say that the White House is currently spending nearly billion a month to sustain military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Defeated US presidentiables and incumbent Senator John Kerry, through the recently crafted Senate joint resolution 36 had called for the withdrawal of military troops in Iraq by the end of this year. In "The Voice of Reason," Senator Kerry recently wrote: "It’s time to put the future of Iraq where it belongs – in the hands of the Iraqi people and their leaders. Our valiant soldiers have done their job.... Our soldiers have done their job, and America is grateful to them for their honor and sacrifice. Now it’s time for the Iraqis to do their job of securing and governing their country and it is time to get our combat troops home in 2006. Only troops essential to finishing the job of training Iraqi forces should remain."

However, despite the descending approval rating of the Bush administration, there is reason to believe that President Bush, and the Republicans, stand where a fairly good chance of holding on to the majority at the midterm elections come November. With the recent pronouncement of the United States that they are willing to engage in direct talks with Iran relative to the nuclear program issue (of course with certain pre-conditions to be followed before the dialogue commences), it is most likely that American voters’ opinion may change and that the Bush administration may be able to project a more positive and hopeful image – one that may be perceived as truly in consonance with the principles of freedom and democracy. Bush has built in advantages Clinton never enjoyed when the Democrats lost a similar Midterm elections during the 90’s.

Whichever political party emerges victorious in this years midterm elections, the ultimate consideration should be that stability and peace are established, not only in Iraq or the Middle east, but the rest of the world. As the world’s only superpower, the United States should take the lead in sincerely forging a peaceful and compasionate world. Like the NBA finals (an event to be watched by millions around the world, the US Midterm elections is a surely exciting match whose results will affect even households in Kabul and Darfur. On the other hand, whoever wins in the NBA deserves a trip to the White House. (Dallas is a prime city in the State of Texas where President Bush once served as governor, while Miami is a favorite destination in the state of Florida where his brother, Jed, is the current governor). Unlike the midterm elections, a "Bush team" will definitely win the NBA championship. But can the world expect hope beyond the results of the midterm elections? (Email address: myrfnt@yahoo.com)