Former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman said Wednesday night that, despite challenges faced by both Republicans and Democrats, he remains positive about political progress in the post-Bush era.

Mehlman, who was the campaign manager for the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election campaign, spoke at the Wisconsin Union Theater as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series. He discussed what he considers major factors in the 2008 presidential elections.

Mehlman outlined the difficulties faced by several of the leading presidential candidates, remaining neutral regarding who would win the nominations.

Mehlman said Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is the current front-runner for the Democratic nomination, but thinks Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is running a very serious campaign.

In regards to the Republicans, Mehlman focused on former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, but added that Arizona senator John McCain, former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee are also strong possibilities.

Mehlman further listed the challenges faced by each party as a whole. The Democratic Party has to deal with the problem of what Mehlman called, “an infrastructure of independence.”

“We live in a world today where the things people used to depend on others for, people can now do themselves,” Mehlman said, referring to today as the “iPod era.”

With that kind of mentality, Mehlman said the Democratic Party will have trouble convincing people to rely on decisions made in Washington the way they have in the past.

Mehlman said the main challenge for the Republican Party is its lack of racial diversity. “[Republicans] need to be careful to show minorities … that we are an open and welcoming party.”

He said the three issues that need to be addressed in the upcoming presidential election are the global war on terror, the health care system and climate change.

“The last generation of politics really has become red versus blue,” Mehlman said. “But these issues are much larger than red and blue.”

Mehlman urged all to stay engaged in politics, regardless of party affiliations. “Whether you’re a critic, whether you’re a supporter, we need you. Our system works when people are passionate and involved.”