This evening the race to become the next president of the United States heats up with the first debate between incumbent Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Although it may be easier to catch a glimpse of the “real” candidates during tonight’s debate, most of what they say will have been fed to them by their respective parties and rehearsed ad nauseum. Promises made during a campaign have become little more than a punchline. But the American people will at least be able to glimpse the tone of each campaign in tonight’s debate.

Politicians are not the great statesmen they were once revered to be. Instead, most who rise to the top do so through pandering to people in exchange for their votes. It seems people do not want to hear hard truths from their leaders, instead wishing to bury their heads in the sand and hope everything will turn out alright. It is something akin to an alcoholic hiding from reality within his addiction.

And just as sometimes an alcoholic can only face his problems after a sobering wake-up call, so too can America only right the ship after facing some hard truths. Rather than the enablers of today’s political climate, the nation needs a strong leader who will do something novel in the current political arena — tell the truth.

So while everyone should tune into tonight’s debate because the best electorate is an informed electorate, remember to view tonight’s performance objectively. Words are cheap and often counterfeit; only actions truly count.