Diversity -- Real and Superficial

Which political party is fielding the most diverse set of candidates?

Now isn't that a ridiculous question, considering the Democrats are fielding a woman, an African-American, a Hispanic, and a metrosexual and the Republicans are fielding a white guy, a white guy, a white guy, a white guy, a white guy, and a white guy?

However, lets take another look at the candidates.

Among the Democrats, on what issues do they differ? Economics? Nope. Social issues? Nope. The war? Again, nope (not if votes bely rhetoric, at least).

Among the Republicans, on what issues do they differ?

Economics: Romney is an interventionist, if his record is any clue. As is Guiliani, most likely. McCain certainly is. Thompson is a capitalist. Paul is even more so. And Huckabee is a populist. Romney and Huckabee both raised taxes -- Huckabee more than Romney, though Huckabee is now in favor of the Fair Tax. McCain has also raised taxes. Giuliani and Thompson are tax-lowerers, though nobody is anti-tax like Paul.

Social: Huckabee is a hard-core social conservative. His social conservatism is probably why he's a Republican and not a Democrat. Romney was a social libertarian, but he's turned into a social conservative (for the Presidential run?). McCain is a mixed back, though he tries to be more or less conservative. Thompson is socially conservative, but his belief in federalism could just send social issues to the states, where they belong. Giuliani is a social libertarian, and Paul is both a social libertarian and a federalist.

War: All are for the Iraqi war except Paul, though Huckabee's comments about Bush suggest a different approach to foreign policy on his part than Romney, who defended Bush recently, and the other candidates other than Paul.

From this analysis, we can see that the Republicans are in fact a more diverse group of people than are the Democrats on what matters: political positions and character. I recall that there was once a great man who called -- in fact, dreamed -- for a time when people would be judged not by the color of their skin (and let's extend that dream to genitalia) but by the content of their character. By that criteria, it is the Democrats who have fielded the most homogenous field of candidates, while the Republicans have given us several real options.