Evaluate the 2008 Presidential Candidates: 7 Easy-to-Use Web Tools

We at TheMishMash.com do care about matters other than buying fun stuff, the aberrant and the cheap laugh. We've gotta live and work in these United States too. And, yeah, we DO vote.

(Gratuitous 'Dolt of the Day' reference: "You're a dolt if you don't vote.")

To that end, to help you identify the 2008 presidential candidate most sharing your views, we've gathered seven of the best, and easiest-to-use, web tools for the job.

You'll be better informed.

1. At Politicalbase.com a voter can "build a customized grid of politicians of [his/her] choosing and match them up on specific issues [and can,] alternatively, jump to a specific issue to see more detailed information and stances from various politicians." The site also has a Who Should I Vote For For President in 2008 quiz. Helpful.

2. Not unexpectedly, the New York Times has created a concise Election Guide 2008 with the candidates' positions on the issues of abortion, health care, immigration, Iraq and climate change. There's also information regarding candidate finances . Good, substantive material.

3. WQAD's Select a Candidate Quiz is quick, easy and helpful.

4. MyElectionChoices.com has a questionnaire. Voters pick the issues they most care about and then select statements they agree with. The results, which can be tracked, show which candidate one agrees with most.

5. WCVB.com has a cool candidate-by-candidate comparison tool.

6. Yahoo's Candidate Mashup is unique. The reader picks one or more candidates to compare on a particular issue. The mashup then plays the 'personalized debate'. Unfortunately, it only profiles the Democratic candidates. Yahoo! hopes to mashup the Republicans in the near future.

7. 2decide.com's grid lists all of the candidates' positions on issues arranged in an easy to read table. Bonus: Dehp.net takes 2decide's table and creates a series of questions that will help find the candidate most closely mirroring your opinions.