Sunday, February 10, 2008

Why Hillary Clinton

This is a message of hope. Hope that the American people will wake up from the torpor in which they have lived for the past seven years and do something for which the world will be grateful: Put a woman in charge at the White House.

I am not an U.S. citizen, therefore I cannot cast my vote in favor of Mrs. Clinton. However, I feel that I need to say something about a country that claims to be the role model of democracy and then allows torture, denies habeas corpus to hundreds of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay and supports non-democratic regimes such as Saudi Arabia. Still, it is a country the world looks at for guidance and leadership.

I am not an advocate of terrorism or violent revolution. I am strongly in favor of change when it follows due process. Also, I assume that the Democratic candidate will win the presidential race.

Going back to the point: Why Mrs. Clinton and not Mr. Obama. It's a gender choice, not a racial one.

Women account for more than half of the world's population. Nevertheless, women represent a minority within a majority.

In the affluent, democratic and developed world, women represent the minority of the work force, the minority of corporate executives, the minority of political leaders.

In the less affluent, less democratic and less developed world, the number of women who receives basic schooling is much smaller than men, their financial clout is irrelevant and they represent the majoriy of the victimes of violence.

For more accurate and comprehensive reports, please see the Web sites of the U.N. agencies for women WomenWatch and UNIFEM.

So why a wealthy, educated, successful woman at the White House would make a difference? Wouldn't a black president represent an equally landmark achievement by a member of a minority? Wouldn't Obama inspire millions of people in the U.S. and abroad? Surely he would.

Consider, however, that within the black communities around the world, women are still at a disadvantage. A black man (as opposed to a woman) would still be seen as a man by more than half of the world.

Mrs. Clinton, as a woman, will be able to inspire women regardless of race, social background and geographical location. And even if comes May and she is not nominated as the Democratic candidate, she will have given women all over the world one more reason to fight for their rights. If she is nominated and is elected in Novemebr, she will inspire them for at least four more years.

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