In a 21st century global economy, who can we expect to compete with...?

Answer: we can expect to compete with China for sure. And why someone's age is relevant to that is beyond me. The issue should be who is more experienced to deal with matters of competition. Obama is against free trade which is the only thing that has kept our economy moving in the last couple of years. McCain favors free trade. You might want to read up on history,. It was the termination of free trade and high tariffs that contributed significantly to the pain of the Great Depression.