Here's a list of American politicians I support and American politicians I don't support. See if you can make out what the common denominators are:
SUPPORT
George W. Bush
Bill Clinton
Hillary Clinton
Condi Rice
Colin Powell
Joe Liebermann
John McCain
Al Gore (until 2002)
Ronald Reagan
NO SUPPORT
John Kerry
Al Gore (since 2002)
Barack Obama
Nancy Pelosi
Ron Paul
David Duke
Robert Byrd
Jimmy Carter (double)
Notice that Sarah Palin is not on either list. I think she is too inexperienced for high office. But that doesn't make her a NO SUPPORT.
The common denominators that I use are those:
1. Anyone officially dumber than George W. Bush is NO SUPPORT (John Kerry).
2. Accept a Nobel Peace price even though you haven't done anything for peace and you are a NO SUPPORT (Gore, Carter). Take credit for another person's efforts and fraternise with the murderers of that person and you are a double NO SUPPORT (Carter).
3. Associate with white or black supremacists or the KKK and you are a NO SUPPORT (Byrd, Obama, Duke, Paul).
4. Fight communism or fascism and you are SUPPORT (Reagan, Clinton, Bush).
5. Defend Israel and/or other minorities in the middle east and you are a SUPPORT.
Plus I tend to prefer politicians who go to church/mosque/synagogue over politicians who don't and I prefer politicians who make an effort to learn about other religions/cultures over politicians that don't. Colin Powell and George W. Bush earned points for the second criterium.