Obama, McCain, Life, Death, Abortion, Voting, and this American Catholic

Since I'm an American citizen, and a practicing Catholic, I have to vote this Tuesday. It's my duty.

Choosing which candidate isn't as easy as it could be. Catholic teachings on life issues, for example, are quite definite.

But neither of the two major presidential candidates are 'perfect' candidates from a Catholic point of view. Barack Obama's short political history includes positions on abortion that are disturbing. John McCain's stand on the death penalty isn't in line with Catholic teaching. Neither is Obama's, for that matter.

The idea, for me, is not to find the perfect candidate for president, governor, or whatever. What I'm looking for is a candidate I can, in good conscience, vote for.

I'm writing about what I've found about Catholic teachings and choosing an acceptable candidate in these posts:

• "I Prayed, I Voted: Now We See What Happens"
  (November 4, 2008)
• "Barack Obamam's Grandmother Died"
  (November 4, 2008)
• "Voting: 'Well, that was fairly painless...' "
  (November 4, 2008)
• "Voter Information: Where and How to Find it"
  (November 3, 2008)
• "Nancy Pelosi, Catholic Teachings, and a Reality Check "
  (November 3, 2008)
• "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
  (November 3, 2008)
• "Life: It's a Single Issue, and an Important One"
  (November 2, 2008)
• "Barack Obama or John McCain Will be America's Next President"
  (November 2, 2008)
• "Elections, Abortion, Voting, Conscience, and Other Troublesome Topics"
  (November 1, 2008)
• "Elections and Citizenship, Catholic Style"
  (September 24, 2008)