Kucinich Watch: Why He's the Best Political Animal for President

My chosen candidate for President must espouse progressive values for both human and nonhuman animals. The ideal President should recognize the interconnectedness of human rights and animal rights and give them equal consideration. He/she needs to share my conviction that nonhuman animals are an integral part of our world and deserve our respect and compassion. How does the current crop of Democratic candidates fare in this area?

The Humane Society Legislative Fund publishes the Humane Scorecard, a report on how individual Congressional members have voted on animal protection bills during each session. The animal bills considered in the first half of the 109^th Congress dealt with prohibiting the slaughter of horses and wild burros, the welfare of commercially sold pets, a ban on the slaughter of downed livestock, and animal fighting prohibition enforcement. Presidential candidates Christopher Dodd, Hillary Clinton, and Dennis Kucinich all scored an impressive 100% in support of these bills. Joseph Biden ranked second at 60%, and Barack Obama scored a dismal 17%.

What about the other candidates? John Edwards, a former Senator, scored only 60% on the Humane Scorecard in his last term as a Senator. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson recently helped pass a statewide cockfighting ban and has consistently backed animal shelter-related and spay/neuter legislation. Unfortunately, he's a supporter of animal-cruel rodeos and horse racing. Mike Gravel makes no reference to animal protection on his campaign website, which suggests to me that he has no interest in this issue.