When this primary season began I listened to all of the major candidates. I wanted to vote for the person who I really felt embodied the values and principles that I stood for. What qualities did I actually want in a President and what issues were really important to me? Well, I knew what I didn’t want – a stand in for George W. Bush. That part was easy but defining what I really expected of my President was harder.

After much reflection, this is my short (incomplete) list:

I want a President who will bring together diverse and divergent points of view, one who won’t be isolated from the real world by cabinet appointees and who will listen to concerns of the people. 

I want a President who will defend the rights and issues of women and children, regardless of color, social status, religious beliefs or influence.

I want a President who will put environmental concerns at least on par with (if not above) big business.

I want a President who will keep as much government intervention and interference as possible out of my daily life.

I want a President who will once again be respected as the leader of the modern world.

I want a President who has a realistic view of life’s risks and who doesn’t have an agenda kept alive by fear.

I want a President who will enforce current laws before enacting others that muddy the water or enacting Executive Privilege to by-pass the laws of the land in the name of National Security.

OK, I admit some of my list is still what I don’t want. But I’ve tried to listen carefully and I recognize that no politician is going to meet every one of my criteria. Initially, my vote was for John Edwards and I hope that he will run again some day. But, now, the field has been whittled down to three Senators – McCain, Clinton and Obama. For me, John McCain is too much of the same ol’ Bush thing. I think I’ve been pretty clear that what I don’t want is another Bush. But would either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama come close to what I want in a President? And how about the issues that matter to me –health care, Veterans benefits, the environment, Medicare and Social Security, taxes and the economy, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and more?

I have read the issue statements for both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama. While there are differences, I could vote for either one. Again, no one candidate is perfect and - this is a biggie - each will have to compromise with Congress in the end. Rather than list supporting statements here, I’ll suggest that you go to their official websites and read their statements for yourself. Instead, I’m going to explain why I choose to support Hillary Clinton.

As a baby boomer woman who grew up in the middle of second the wave of feminism (see http://www.legacy98.org/move-hist.html if you missed it in a previous comment), I admit I am drawn the Senator Clinton because of her gender. All other things being equal between candidates, this is an historic moment for women. While discrimination is more subtle these days, it has not been eliminated. For example, men in the media consistently refer to Senator Clinton as Hillary, but refer to Senator Obama as Obama when using a one name reference.  They refer to women by their first names as though they have not attained the status of a man.  This may seem like a small thing but it is a subtle form of discrimination, and it is only one of dozens of small examples, not to mention those examples that are blatant.  Discrimination against women is not a thing of the past.

I would like to see a national holiday in remembrance of Elizabeth Cady Stanton who started the women’s movement in 1848 much like the holiday of Martin Luther King where we gather and remember where we’ve been, assess where we are, and bring to the forefront where we still need to be to establish equality for all men and women. Young women today take for granted the very things my generation and generations of women before me fought against, and we have no one to blame but ourselves for not regularly reminding them of the hard fight - a national holiday would help us remember and remind. Towards that end, I see the election of a woman as President as the next giant step in changing the mindset of future generations.

I am aware that people either love Senator Clinton or they hate her. There seems to be no middle ground with the electorate. There are questions of integrity and I’m not belittling the importance of integrity, but I’ve heard all three Senators caught in lies. She has experience, and is well known and respected throughout the world. She’s a fighter, there’s no denying that, and she’s spent her life fighting for issues that affect women and children. I also believe she will be more than competent as Commander in Chief.

I will continue to support Senator Clinton through the national convention and, should she become the first woman President, I’ll hold her to a very high standard. As is always the case for the first woman in any position, she’ll have to work twice as hard to be seen just as competent as her male counterparts. In the meantime, I look forward to an election season where gender and race no longer matter in choosing our elected officials.