In the coming elections, it is important to remember that war and peace
are as much “women’s issues,” as are health, the environment, and the
achievement of educational and occupational equality. Because we
believe that all of these concerns are not only fundamental but closely
intertwined, this Tuesday we will be casting our vote for Senator
Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee for President of the United
States.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, we have watched with shock
and sorrow as our country has become mired in war. The resulting
tragedy for our own soldiers, their immediate families and for the
people of Iraq has been incalculable.

Less obvious, but no less grave has been the impact on our domestic
institutions and economy. With a defense budget of half a trillion
dollars and expenditures now averaging $12 billion a month for wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, resources that might have been used for health
care, housing, education, repair of infrastructure, relief of poverty
and community development have been drained away.

We urgently need a Presidential candidate, who understands that
“preemptive” attacks on other countries and the reliance on military
force have diminished rather then strengthened our national security.
And we urgently need a Presidential candidate whose first priority is
to address domestic needs. We do not believe that Senator Hillary
Clinton is that candidate

We base our judgment on her seven-year record as the Senator from New
York. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she has
carefully identified herself as a supporter of a strong, enlarged and
proactive military. In 2002, she voted to authorize the “use of force”
against Iraq, while voting against an amendment that would have
mandated further diplomacy. In subsequent years, she expressed
enthusiastic support for the war effort, objected to fixed timelines
for the withdrawal of U.S troops and until last summer voted for the
“unconditional funding” of the war.

Under pressure from the Democratic base, Senator Clinton has recently
issued numerous statements about bringing the troops home
“responsibly.” But her actual plan would leave tens of thousands of
Americans soldiers in Iraq over a period of many years. Her record of
embracing military solutions and the foreign policy advisors she has
selected make us doubt that she will end this calamitous war.

Choosing to support Senator Obama was not an easy decision for us
because electing a woman President would be a cause for celebration in
itself and because we deplore the sexist attacks against Senator
Clinton that have circulated in the media. However, we also recognize
that the election of Barack Obama would be another historic achievement
and that his support for gender equality has been unwavering.

In backing Senator Obama, we are mindful of the inconsistencies in his
voting record and the limitations of his own plans for withdrawal. Yet
it is noteworthy that at a time when this position was politically
unpopular and when he was aiming for national office, Barack Obama
opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and has spoken out against the war
ever since. This puts him in a far better position to articulate a
clear challenge to a Republican opponent.

We are also moved by the positive tone of the Obama campaign, the
tremendous energy it has released across the country, the dramatic
engagement of young people and the impetus for change that his
candidacy embodies.

We are speaking out now because we cannot afford to elect another
President who will continue the aggressive, interventionist policies of
the present.

Signed:
(List in formation, institutional affiliations are listed for identification purposes only)

Janet Abu-Lughod, Graduate Faculty, New School, emerita
Lila Abu-Lughod, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, Columbia University
Rev. Patricia Ackerman, environmentalist
Meena Alexander, Poet, Hunter College and the Graduate Center/CUNY
Frances Anderson, NY State Coordinator - Progressive Democrats of America
Electa Arenal, writer & translator
Caron Atlas, arts & culture consultant
Eleanor J. Bader, teacher & writer
Eva-Lee Baird, peace activist
Ellen Baker, high school teacher
Valerie Barr, Union College
Rosalyn Baxandall, State University of New York/Old Westbury
Nan Bauer-Maglin, City University of New York, emirita
Carolyn Patti Blum, human rights lawyer
Cynthia Bogard, Hofstra University
Marsha Borenstein, Major Owens Communications Services Center
Barbara A. Brown, architect
Cynthia Brown, writer
Pamela Allen Brown University of Connecticut, Stamford
Alice Bucker
Candace C. Carponter, lawyer
Veronica Casano, retired social worker
Kathleen Chalfant, actor
Ellen P. Chapnick, Dean for Social Justice Initiatives, Columbia Law School
Kathy Cicerani
Erin Clermont, writer/editor, Veteran Feminists of America
Lorraine Cohen, LaGuardia Community College
Sandra Coliver, human rights lawyer
Louise Fischer Cozzi, jewelry designer
Nancy Fraser, New School for Social Research
Judy D'Angio, Executive Secretary
Dana-Ain Davis, Queens College
Rev. Holly Haile Davis
Ann Decker, Art Director
Victoria de Grazia, Columbia University
Sue Donnelly, peace activist
Sandra Dunn, translator, educator
Gina Eichenbaum-Pikser, Student Nurse-Midwife
Zillah Eisenstein, Ithaca College
Carolyn Eisenberg, Hofstra University
Kate Ellis, Rutgers University
Kathy Engel, poet
Sally Fisher, HIV / VAW Activist
Michelle Fine, Graduate Center at City University of New York
Nanette Funk, Brooklyn College
Lin Goodwin, professor
Judi Gardner, middle school home & careers teacher
Reena Geevarghese, peace activist
Celia Gerard, artist and teacher
Joan P. Gibbs, Esq. National Conference of Black Lawyers*
Stephanie Gilmore, Trinity College
Linda Gnat-Mullin, Energetic Empowerment
Tami Gold, Hunter College
Stephanie Golden, free-lance author
Nancy Goldner, psychotherapist, Returning Veterans Response Network
Linda Gordon, New York University
Vera Graaf, filmmaker
Diane Greenlent, photographer
Farah Jasmine Griffin, professor and writer
A Lin Goodwin, professor
Carole Gruber, William Paterson University, Emeritus
Randy Halpern
Lynne Haney, New York University
Sheila Hanks, retired
Saidiya Hartman, Columbia University
Melinda Hass, psychoanalyst
Barbara Hawkins, Teachers College, Columbia University
Lena Hayes, teacher and youth advocate
Jane Hirschmann, community organizer
Carol Horwitz, lawyer
Martha Howell, Columbia University
Carole Huston, peace activist
Margo Jefferson, writer
Randi Johnson, writer
Sally Jones, peace activist
Daphne Joslin, William Paterson University of New Jersey
Alice Kessler Harris, Columbia University
Laura Kogel, LCSW, psychotherapist, faculty, The Women's Therapy Centre Institute
Lucy Koteen
Tamar Kraft-Stolar, criminal justice advocate
Nancy Kricorian, writer
Jane Kurinsky, LMSW, peace Activist
Anna Lappé, author/activist
Tanya Laurer, artist
Gail Lerner, peace activist
Gloria Levitas, formerly Queens College/CUNY
Andrea Libresco, Hofstra University
Sandy Livingston, writer
Barbara Machtinger, Bloomfield College
Holly Maguigan, New York University School of Law
Karen Malpede, writer
Emily Martin, professor, anthropology, New York University
Vicki McFadden, mother of Iraq vet and peace activist.
Elizabeth A. McGee, social sector consultant
Oseye Mchawi, Center for Law and Social Justice, Yoruba Society of Brooklyn, Inc.
D. H. Melhem, poet
Margaret Melkonian, Hague Appeal for Peace
Ellen Meyers, educator
Maria E. Montoya, New York University
Esther Moroze, peace activist
Leith Mullings, Graduate Center/ CUNY
Cheryl Mwaria, Hofstra University
Paula Nesoff, LaGuardia Community College
Judy O'Brien, educator
Susan O'Malley, Kingsborough Community College
Lynn Otty, peace activist
Patricia Paley, school social worker
Gail Pellett, filmmaker
Patricia Paley, school social worker
Rosalind Petchesky, Hunter College & the Graduate Center, CUNY
Jamie Peters
Linda Penn, psychologist
Dr. Charlotte Phillips, pediatrician
Fanette Pollack, attorney
Katha Pollitt, writer
Alexandra Ponce de Leon, Media Research Analyst, Universal McCann NY
Dr. Linda Prine, reproductive rights activist
Amy Quinn-Suplina, community peace & justice activist
Rachel Pecker
Alice Radosh, research psychologist, retired
Janet Randall, Northeastern University
Marci Reaven, historian
Nina Reznick, lawyer
Nancy Romer, Brooklyn College
Constancia Dinky Romilly, registered nurse, retired
Esther Rowland, Barnard College Emeritus
Martha Saxton, Amherst College
Donna Schaper
Adrianne Shropshire, Activist
Lucy Sikes, retired graphic designer
Alice Slater, lawyer & peace activist
Marjorie Siegel, Teachers College, Columbia University
Betty Smith, International Publishers
Judith Stacey, New York University
Gretchen Stromberg, senior citizem
Dr. Joan Sturgis, physician
Meredith Tax, writer
Tinka Topping, educator
Melissa Van, peace activist
Andrea A. Vasquez, American Social History Project, The Graduate Center, CUNY
Lise Vogel, Rider University, Emerita
Kerry Washington, actor
Sandy Weinbaum, non-profit administrator
Barbara Weinstein, New York University
Cora Weiss, U.N. Representative, International Peace Bureau
Joan Wile, author
Maggie Williams, William Patterson University
Bethany Yarrow, singer
Rosalie Yelen, women's health advocate
Susan Yohn, Hofstra University
Marilyn Young, New York University