With only 16 days left until Americans go to the voting booths to select the 44th president of the United States, tensions are likely to increase.

Whereas only a few weeks ago it appeared Democrat Barack Obama enjoyed sizable leads in various voter opinion polls, some pollsters now say the race is tightening. Obama supporters have enjoyed the favorite role for weeks, but if the race becomes close, there’s the chance tempers and tensions will become more intense.

If McCain should surprise most pundits and pollsters and come from behind to win the race, how will Obama supporters react?

If Obama wins, how will McCain supporters react?

It is difficult to measure or judge the level of intensity in presidential campaigns, but it is difficult to remember any recent U.S. presidential race in which there seemed to be as much below-the-surface tension or bitterness.

Among a large percentage of Democrats, there has been an extreme dislike, almost hatred, of George Bush, which surfaced almost immediately after his win over Al Gore, followed four years later by his win over John Kerry. They disliked Bush, and they have committed four to eight years to doing almost anything to defeat and/or destroy Bush.

This year, any Republican candidate, particularly one who has served in the U.S. House or Senate and who voted to support any Bush initiative, is the target of these anti-Bush zealots. McCain is battling extreme odds. With the current economic situation, even though Democrats have controlled both the U.S. House and Senate for the past two years, he faces even greater challenges.

This being the case, many have looked at the election as a “no-contest” event from which the Democratic candidate should be able to walk away with an easy win. After all, Democratic voters far outnumber Republican voters, and Democratic workers have worked to bring in record numbers of new voters for this election.

With so many favorable conditions, and if McCain were to pull a big surprise, how will Democratic diehards react?

Thursday evening, in New York City, the annual Al Smith banquet was at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The banquet is named in honor of the 1928 Democratic candidate for president. Smith, the governor of New York, was defeated by Herbert Hoover.

The white-tie charity event was a sellout and featured talks by both McCain and Obama. Both men were great in their humorous comments, and both were high in their praise of their opponent. The crowd enjoyed it, the two men appeared to be having a great time, and millions of television viewers enjoyed it.

As soon as the program ended, both Democratic and Republican observers noted, “What a shame all voters didn’t have a chance to see this.” The point being that for almost two years, the campaign for the White House has been under way, with charge after charge hurled by the candidates and their supporters.

Now, with just two weeks remaining in this intense, winner-take-all contest, tempers are going to be tested. And, no matter who wins the Nov. 4 vote, there’s the chance emotions could get out of hand.

It is a very uncomfortable situation, and hopefully leaders on both sides of the political fence will urge their followers to behave in the proper manner before and after the election. There is no excuse for any lawlessness, and law enforcement officials should be prepared to crack down hard on anyone who misbehaves.

Both McCain and Obama acknowledged their respect for each other at the Al Smith dinner. They complimented each other and received rousing applause for their presentations. Each of them got in his digs at his opponent, but they did it with a smile on their faces.

Some way or other, citizens of this country need to come out of the Nov. 4 election with a smile on their faces, rather than mean, vicious, get-even, ugly reactions. This was the situation following both of George Bush’s elections, and it should not be repeated.

It’s not good for either party, it’s not good for the country, and it’s not good for our political system.