I try not to get political on this blog, but this election is way too important for me to stay silent any longer. Our economy is going has gone to hell, millions of Americans are without health insurance, “No Child Left Behind” has done the exact opposite, alternative fuel sources have yet to be maximized, and we are still fighting an endless war in Iraq.

I wanted Hillary. I wanted her to be president so badly that I had a hard time accepting Obama. I still feel like I’m settling, but after last night’s debate I am seriously sickened at the thought of McCain/Palin taking over control of our country.

I want a woman to be president. I’ve wanted it since I was a little girl. However, I do not want just any woman. I’m not stupid enough to vote for someone simply because she’s a female. McCain’s hoping that I am, though.

Here’s how I think it went down…McCain saw how much female support Hillary garnered, and how many of those females were left in limbo when she didn’t win the nomination. He saw that these women, like myself, weren’t jumping on the Obama bandwagon because frankly, we didn’t want him…we wanted her. He made a strategic move (notice that I didn’t say it was a smart one), he chose a female running mate thinking that the female Hillary backers would chose him over Obama. What he failed to realize is that women like me weren’t supporting Hillary simply because she was a woman. I voted for Hillary because she could do the job. I voted for Hillary because of what she stood for (ahem…universal healthcare). I voted for Hillary because she would make a better president.

Does John McCain realize that he’s in his seventies and Sarah Palin could easily be faced with the situation of taking over the presidency? Could you imagine this woman leading the most powerful country in the free world? Her ridiculous mocking expression and tone, her well-rehearsed, recited answers (I use that term loosely since she could care less about what Gwen was actually asking her), her references to “Joe six-pack” and “hockey moms” like every man watching was sucking down beers while the women washed and ironed uniforms, and her “darn tootin” nauseating, dumbed-down phrases were too much to bear “doggone it.” Haven’t we already lived through 8 years of this crap?

I understand that many Americans can connect to her. She’s a mother. Her son is in Iraq. Her daughter is a pregnant teen. She has a special needs child. She’s outdoorsy. She’s a runner for pete’s sake, but that just means we have something in common…it doesn’t qualify her to be vice president. I don’t want someone like me in the White House. I want someone who is qualified for the job. I want someone with diplomatic relations, with experience in Washington, with a resume that fits, and who can speak eloquently and with tact.

This presidential election is so much more than gender and race and what the candidates look like and wear. It’s about the future of our country. It’s about change because that’s the only thing left to do. If things keep going the way they are, we are all in trouble.

I’m guessing that Obama is really kicking himself for not choosing a certain Clinton as his running mate…at least I hope he is because that would be like the greatest ticket ever.