A Catholic Democrat--Go Figure!

I am a proudly declared Catholic member of the Democratic party. Here are some of the reasons that I, myself, support Senator Clinton over Senator Obama. As a woman, would love to see a woman elected as President of the United States of America, but that, but that is definitely not the only reason I support Senator Clinton, because I would just as much like to see the citizens of the U.S. move past their discrimination of African Americans and elect an African
American President. I do not support discrimination or hate of any kind. I support Senator Clinton because she has the needed experience to effectively run the country, as she has been a New York U.S. senator from 2001, while Senator Obama has only been an Illinois U.S. Senator since 2005. Senator Clinton was also first lady while her husband, Bill Clinton, served 2 consecutive terms as U.S. President.

As a Catholic who supports peace in Iraq, not only because the Catholic Church supports peace in those conflicts, but because I myself am touched by the war in Iraq personally. I know two young women who are students at SCSU -- two very good friends of mine -- who are serving their second tour of duty in Iraq currently. One of my older cousins also served in Iraq, so the war has even touched my family.

While I do fully support the troops but also want an end to the wars in Iraq, I believe that Senator Clinton's phased withdrawal of the troops, "with the goal of having most troops out by 2013 [while] leaving a residual force in Iraq to fight terrorist groups, deter Iranian aggression, protect the Kurds and possibly support the Iraqi military"[,] (The Dallas Morning News "Where They Stand" On matters of substance, there are clear -- and subtle -- differences") is more realistic than Senator Obama's promise to "withdraw most troops within 16 months", and only leaving "limited forces to combat terrorism[,] [which] would not be involved in deterring Iranian involvement" (The Dallas Morning News --See article title and web address above). As a Catholic, and a sympathetic member of the human race, I believe we still need to protect the Iraqi people, and if that means a phased withdrawal of troops and a residual force to protect the Iraqis, then so be it. I believe that the most important thing here is that we stop the loss of innocent lives, whether they be U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq, or Iraqi citizens, we need to protect our fellow humankind, in whatever way possible, and above all, promote peace throughout the entire human race. I believe that Senator Clinton has those ideals at heart, and that is why I support her.