Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Hillary Rodham Clinton: America is ready for a leader who will end the war in Iraq. Hillary's roadmap out of Iraq, the Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act of 2007, is a plan to end the war before the next president takes the oath of office. But if the Bush administration won't end the war, as president and commander in chief, Hillary will.

Source: hillaryclinton.com/issues/

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Nearly 47 million Americans -- including 9 million children -- don't have health insurance. America is ready for universal health care. Hillary has the vision and the experience to make it a reality. This is a battle Hillary has fought before -- and she has the scars to prove it. She knows better than anyone how to fight and build the political support to get the job done.

Source: hillaryclinton.com/issues/

Hillary Rodham Clinton: America is ready for a president who fights for our children. Hillary has spent her lifetime as an effective advocate for parents and children.

From her first job out of law school at the Children's Defense Fund to her time as First Lady of Arkansas and of the United States to her service in the Senate, helping children has been at the center of Hillary's public life.

In the White House, Hillary will continue her lifelong work to create a world where every child is cherished, loved, and able to fulfill his or her potential.

Source: hillaryclinton.com/issues/family/

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Hillary has fought the relentless and insidious efforts by far-right Republicans to limit the protections of Roe v Wade, while also working hard to expand access to family planning services.

Hillary has seen what happens when governments try to control a woman's reproductive health decisions. Whether it was Romania under a dictatorship saying you had to have children for the good of the state or China saying you had to have only one child for the good of the state, governments have dictated the most private and important decisions that we as individuals or families can make.

She has championed the Prevention First Act, which expands access to family planning services for low-income women, requires health insurance companies to cover contraception, and provides a dedicated funding stream for age-appropriate, medically accurate, comprehensive sex education.

Source: hillaryclinton.com/issues/women/

Age: 60; born Oct. 26, 1947

Residence: Chappaqua, N.Y.

Education/Degrees: Bachelor’s degree in political science, Wellesley College, 1969; J.D., Yale Law School, 1973.

Occupation: U. S. Senator

Experience: U.S. senator from New York, 2001-2006, re-elected Nov. 7, 2006; first lady, 1993-2001.

Family: Husband, former President Bill Clinton. One daughter, Chelsea.

Web Site: www.hillaryclinton.com

Mike Huckabee: # Iraq is a battle in our generational, ideological war on terror. # The Democrats deny that the war in Iraq is part of the war on terror even as we fight Al Qaeda there. Al Qaeda seeks permanent bases in Anbar province to plot and train against us. # General Petraeus and our troops are giving their all to provide a window of opportunity for the Iraq government to succeed, while the Democrats are running for the exit doors. # The surge is a military means to achieve the political end of sectarian reconciliation among the Iraqis. # Setting a timetable for withdrawal is a mistake. This country has never declared war until "a week from Wednesday," we have always declared war until victory. # I am focused on winning. Withdrawal would have serious strategic consequences for us and horrific humanitarian consequences for the Iraqis. # I support a regional summit so that Iraq's neighbors become militarily and financially committed to stabilizing Iraq.

Source: www.mikehuckabee.com/

Mike Huckabee: The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health" system. We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict or funded through ever-higher taxes. We do need to get serious about preventive health care instead of chasing more and more dollars to treat chronic disease, which currently gobbles up 80% of our health care costs, and yet is often avoidable. The result is that we'll be able to deliver better care where and when it's needed.

Source: www.mikehuckabee.com/

Mike Huckabee: I believe that every child should have the opportunity for a quality education that teaches the fundamental skills needed to compete in a global economy. As I traveled the country and the world over the last decade bringing jobs to Arkansas, the business leaders I met weren't worried about creating jobs, they were worried about finding skilled and professional workers to fill those jobs.

Source: www.mikehuckabee.com/

Mike Huckabee: I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned.

Source: www.mikehuckabee.com/

Age: 52; born Aug. 24, 1955

Residence: Little Rock, Ark.

Education/Degrees: Bachelor’s degree, Quachita Baptist U., 1976; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1976-77.

Occupation: Former Arkansas governor

Experience: Arkansas governor, 1996-2007; lieutenant governor, 1993-96.

Family: Wife, Janet, and three children.

Web Site: www.mikehuckabee.com/

John McCain: A greater military commitment now is necessary if we are to achieve long-term success in Iraq. John McCain agrees with retired Army General Jack Keane that there are simply not enough American forces in Iraq. More troops are necessary to clear and hold insurgent strongholds; to provide security for rebuilding local institutions and economies; to halt sectarian violence in Baghdad and disarm Sunni and Shia militias; to dismantle al Qaeda; to train the Iraqi Army; and to embed American personnel in Iraqi police units. Accomplishing each of these goals will require more troops and is a crucial prerequisite for needed economic and political development in the country. America's ultimate strategy is to give Iraqis the capabilities to govern and secure their own country.

Source: http://www.johnmccain.com/

John McCain: * Bringing costs under control is the only way to stop the erosion of affordable health insurance, save Medicare and Medicaid, protect private health benefits for retirees, and allow our companies to effectively compete around the world.

* Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over their care. We can improve health and spend less, while promoting competition on the cost and quality of care, taking better care of our citizens with chronic illness, and promoting prevention that will keep millions of others from ever developing deadly and debilitating disease.

* While we reform the system and maintain quality, we can and must provide access to health care for all our citizens - whether temporarily or chronically uninsured, whether living in rural areas with limited services, or whether residing in inner cities where access to physicians is often limited.

* America's veterans have fought for our freedom. We should give them freedom to choose to carry their VA dollars to a provider that gives them the timely care at high quality and in the best location.

Source: http://www.johnmccain.com/

John McCain: McCain's support of school vouchers, which use public education funds to help families pay for private school tuition, has earned a Club for Growth seal of approval:

John McCain's record on school choice is very good. He has consistently supported school choice programs, voting for a Washington, D.C., school voucher program in 1997 and a trial voucher program in 2001 as an amendment to the No Child Left Behind Act. In 1999, he boldly proposed an amendment to authorize $1.8 billion a year for three years to establish a pilot school voucher program, paid for by the elimination of subsidies for ethanol, oil, gas, and sugar. In a speech two months later, he eloquently argued that "our children deserve the best education we can provide to them, whether that learning takes place in a public, private, or parochial school. It's time to give middle- and lower-income parents the same right wealthier families have—to send their child to the school that best meets their needs."

Source: www.aflcio.org/

John McCain: John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench. Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat.

Source: http://www.johnmccain.com/

Age: 71; born Aug. 29, 1936.

Residence: Phoenix

Education/Degrees: U.S. Naval Academy, 1958; National War College, 1973-74.

Occupation: U.S. Senator

Experience: U.S. senator from Arizona, 1986-present; U.S. congressman, 1982-86; director, Navy Senate Liaison Office, Washington, 1977-81; captain, Navy pilot, 1977; prisoner of war, Hanoi, Vietnam, 1967-73; Commander, U.S. Navy, 1958.

Family: Wife, Cindy Hensley; five sons and two daughters; divorced once before.

Web Site: www.johnmccain.com

Barack Obama: Before the war in Iraq ever started, Senator Obama said that it was wrong in its conception. In 2002, then Illinois State Senator Obama said Saddam Hussein posed no imminent threat to the United States and that invasion would lead to an occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. Since then, Senator Obama has laid out a plan on the way forward in Iraq that has largely been affirmed by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group led by James Baker and Lee Hamilton.

Source: barackobama.com/

Barack Obama: "I...believe that every American has the right to affordable health care. I believe that the millions of Americans who can't take their children to a doctor when they get sick have that right...We now face an opportunity - and an obligation - to turn the page on the failed politics of yesterday's health care debates. It's time to bring together businesses, the medical community, and members of both parties around a comprehensive solution to this crisis, and it's time to let the drug and insurance industries know that while they'll get a seat at the table, they don't get to buy every chair."

Source: barackobama.com/

Barack Obama: Throughout America's history, education has been the vehicle for social and economic mobility, giving hope and opportunity to millions of young people. Our schools must prepare students not only to meet the demands of the global economy, but also help students take their place as committed and engaged citizens. It must ensure that all students have a quality education regardless of race, class, or background. Barack Obama is committed to strengthening our public schools to maximize our country's greatest natural resource - the American people. Obama believes that we must equip poor and struggling districts, both rural and urban, with the support and resources they need to provide disadvantaged students with an opportunity to reach their full potential. Too often, our leaders present this issue as an either - or debate, divided between giving our schools more funding, or demanding more accountability. Obama believes that we have to do both, and has offered innovative ideas to break through the political stalemate in Washington.

Source: barackobama.com/

Barack Obama: I think that most Americans recognize that this is a profoundly difficult issue for the women and families who make these decisions. They don't make them casually. And I trust women to make these decisions, in conjunction with their doctors and their families and their clergy, and I think that's where most Americans are.

Source: South Carolina Debate April 26th 2007

Age: 46; born Aug. 4, 1961.

Residence: Chicago

Education/Degrees: Law degree, Harvard; bachelor’s degree in political science, Columbia University.

Occupation: U.S. Senator

Experience: U.S. senator, 2005-present; Illinois state senator, 1997-2004; constitutional law professor, University of Chicago.

Family: Wife, Michelle, and two daughters.

Web Site: www.barackobama.com/index.php

Mitt Romney: Candidate response is not yet available.

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