The circus is coming to town, and it�s about damn time we get to see all the donkeys and elephants in top form. Sure, Howard Dean drew his line in the sand here in 2004, but all of us knew he did it during a low tide. With Barack Obama salivating at a chance to win 10 straight contests, and Hillary Clinton eying Wisconsin as her last decent shot at a win before the March 4 mini-reprise of Super Tuesday, we’ve got an entertaining week on tap.

Chelsea Clinton came to campus Monday, Bill Clinton has announced his intention to campaign in Wisconsin, and Sens. Clinton and Obama will speak at the Founders Day Gala in Milwaukee Saturday. Today, Mr. Obama will be at the Kohl Center, and his impressive organization will assemble a raucous crowd reminiscent of most Badgers games.

In terms of campaign strategy, we can expect more of the same for Mr. Obama, who hopes to run up big margins in urban areas and college campuses throughout the state. Mr. Clinton will look to solidify his wife�s standing in smaller towns and an older population that believes Mr. Obama’s rise reeks of a personality cult � I call it the Krugman Directive. And with the arrival of new campaign chair Maggie Williams � who is responsible for many of Ms. Clinton�s less wonkish speeches � we can expect more rhetorical flourish on the stump. Despite Ms. Clinton’s lead in the most recent polling, Mr. Obama is helped greatly by Mr. McCain’s insurmountable lead on the Republican side, which may encourage moderate conservatives to vote in the open Democratic primary.

Of course, that wouldn’t be much of a concern had Mr. Clinton not jettisoned his wife’s prospects in many urban areas by belittling the Obama campaign. That, combined with the newfound conventional wisdom that a black president is no longer a pipe dream and his increasingly populist message, makes Milwaukee Obama country. Look forward to Wolf Blitzer zooming in on the city with his $2 billion election returns robot and noting the Illinois senator’s large margins there.

The outcome of the race will rest on whether Obama has appeal in the Fox River Valley, where Gov. Jim Doyle surprisingly beat out native son Mark Green in 2004. If Doyle�s endorsement of Mr. Obama carries any weight, and he hits the trail hard for Mr. Obama in the Green Bay area, the Clinton campaign is in for another painful night.

Some of the media�s focus on race has been overblown � but let�s face it, the influence of racial politics in this contest is undeniable. The inner city hasn�t made up its mind, but even my barber in Milwaukee confides, �If I was a voting man, I�d go with Obama.� Too many inner-city residents still see political involvement on the national level as a tacit endorsement of the status quo, but Mr. Obama is getting closer to closing the deal than any politician in my lifetime. You can only imagine what his margins would be if there was time for the retail campaigning that helped him capture Iowa.

Demographics do matter, but voters are anxious about the economy and putting food on the table, so either candidate can clinch Wisconsin on the issues. The inner city voters crucial to victory will make their choice on the hope that a new president will lift communities out of despair. They are asking the candidates for the impossible, which is why we should be more understanding when politicians fall victim to the temptation of exaggeration.

Milwaukee�s economic growth has been stymied by the segregation that won�t allow the city�s territory to expand, as outlying areas have evolved into pseudo-suburbs where wealth is monopolized. That�s why Milwaukee-area schools have such an embarrassing achievement gap between blacks and whites � fewer resources, jobs and tax revenue in the aftermath of what sociologists call �white flight.� No presidential candidate can change that fundamental reality, but he or she can avoid making matters worse.

To win Wisconsin�s urban areas, the candidates will have to drive home the threat President George Bush�s proposed budget has to their quality of life and offer a realistic remedy. Chief among budget concerns for Milwaukee is the proposed elimination of the COPS program, which has put 1,353 new police officers in uniform around the state, according to an analysis by Sen. Herb Kohl�s office. President Bush�s slow bleed of federally supported police programs in favor of underfunded anti-terror mandates has certainly contributed to spikes in violent crime in many urban areas. Indeed, the federal government has reduced its assistance to local law enforcement by 60 percent since the beginning of this administration.

The candidate who can connect seemingly obscure federal policies to our daily quality of life in a meaningful sense will close the deal with Wisconsin voters. That�s all the experience and change necessary to lead on day one with tested, ready and audacious hope.

Bassey Etim ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science and journalism.