It's Campaign 2008, and what's a pet lover to do

I have pets, and their future is very important to me. So clearly that will affect my choice of candidate in the next presidential election, right? I mean, here's a story about Hillary Clinton having no love for Socks the cat. Surely that will carry some weight in my decision.

Or how about the fact that Barack Obama is a White Sox fan? As a follower of the Orioles myself, I cannot in good conscience rally behind someone who roots for a rival American League team, can I?

Okay, you see where I'm going with this. The mainstream media has all but decided that I will back Hillary Clinton because I'm a woman. And it's starting to really piss me off. Being a woman is only one part of who I am, and to simplify my vote like this is an insult.

Like all of you, I'm a combination of many factors. To predict how I will vote based on one or two factors ignores the very real concerns I may have based on other areas of my life. Woman, Democrat, christian, East Coaster, environmentalist, Scottish heritage, teacher, home owner, righthander, lesbian, math challenged, partner, beer drinker.

You get the idea.

When I was 11 years old, I campaigned for George McGovern. I was in the 6th grade, and my elementary school ran a mock election. My mother drove me in our Rambler to the McGovern for President headquarters, where enthusiastic college students loaded me up with posters and buttons. I remember feeling very serious and important as I hung those posters in the empty school hallway. I remember feeling that this man could change the future. It was 1972 and I thought George McGovern could end the Vietnam War. I remember believing in him with all my heart.

That's the last time I felt that way about a candidate.

For the past year, I have been campaigning for Dennis Kucinich. I believe he is playing an important role in this campaign, forcing the other candidates to address issues such as impeachment and the unconstitutional actions of the Bush Administration, as well as being the only candidate with a real environmental policy. But in the end, I understand that he will not win the party's nomination. By the time I get to vote on it, the Democratic candidate for president will be decided. I predict that the candidate will be Hillary Clinton, and I will campaign for her.

But until that time, please let me make my own choices based on who I am.