What to buy, oh my, oh my!

With the prospect of an Obamination looming large on the horizon, the consideration of what to start buying up is on my mind and those of a lot of other gun owners.
As much as I want Sarah Palin to win this election (and drag McCain along with her, sigh) I'm realistic enough to know that it might not come to pass. So I'm looking at what to put down some money on, figuring what's most likely to be embargoed if the Chosen One gets his smooth-talking ass elected.
Of course, magazines of all types are high on the list, particularly those for the nasty "assault rifles" that drive the Left into a lather. Anything over 10 rounds capacity is on the must-buy list. Ammunition can wait for now, since that's going to be harder for them to legislate against (though they'll be trying as hard as they can, those little shites) and pistols are another item that can be put on hold for the nonce.
So the NEXT big ticket item is those semi-automatic carbines that the Brady Bunch have managed to misname "assault rifles" in the minds of their journalistic allies and the unwitting public. But what to buy? An AR? An AK? How much to spend? What type to get? Is this the time to get one of those new piston-system ARs that are coming on strong to replace or supplant the traditional AR direct-gas-impingement system, or is it better just to get a quality AR and hope to get the piston top end at a later date?
Hard to decide. The best ARs are judged by most to be the Colt, the Lewis Machine & Tool, the Noveske or the Sabre Defense, among others. Other brands are also front runners, but controversy over what constitutes "milspec" makes selection problematic. Do you get the $2200 LMT or three of the DoubleStar carbines at Centerfire Systems, and upgrade the top ends at a later date? Are the lowers up to snuff? Seems most of the controversy revolves around the uppers and the bolt groups, so that's the part that could be purchased later on. It's also the part that's free of transfer restrictions for now, since the lower receiver is the serially numbered and restricted component. I almost hate to mention it, since that could change if some Obamanite gets wise and manages to get that legislated away from us as well.
It's a quandary, that's for sure, and while I continue to pull for Palin the latent survivalist in me says "GET THAT GEAR NOW!!!" in tones too strident to ignore!