the West Wing effect

I don't know if it's just because I'm loving the West Wing but I'm finding myself increasingly interested in the unfolding story of the race for the US presidency.
Rather worryingly - and perhaps tellingly in terms of the state of our culture! - I know very little at present about what the candidates actually stand for in terms of policy. For me (and I suspect many US citizens judging by some of the reports I've read) it's a battle of personalities - the big two being Hillary and Obama. I'm not satisfied with this though and feel compelled to know more about what the differences between them in policy actually are. Can anyone point me to a good idiots guide?