We're choosing not just a political party or a set of policies, we're choosing a person. Either John McCain or Barack Obama will bring his own values and beliefs - his strengths and weaknesses - to the White House. Of course, issues matter enormously, and Where They Stand will affect how you live.
But so will the character and leadership of the man himself - his judgment in crisis, his response to adversity, his calm in a storm.
That's why we're launching Presidential Questions on tonight's CBS Evening News. Every Wednesday until the election, you will see both candidates answer the same questions, and you'll be able to judge for yourself.
A Greek philosopher said, "a man's character is his fate." For the president of the United States, character isn't just his fate - it's ours as well.