“One of the guiding principles of the Humane Society Legislative Fund is that we evaluate candidates based on a single criterion: where they stand on animal protection policies. We don’t make decisions based on party affiliation, or any other social issue, or even how many pets they have. We care about their views and actions on the major policy debates relating to animal welfare.

“It stirs controversy to get involved in candidate elections. But we believe that candidates for office and current lawmakers must be held accountable, or they will see the animal protection movement as a largely irrelevant political constituency. In order to have good laws, we need good lawmakers, and involvement in elections is an essential strategy for any serious social movement, including our cause.

“While we’ve endorsed hundreds of congressional candidates for election, both Democrats and Republicans, we’ve never before endorsed a presidential candidate. We have members on the left, in the center, and on the right, and we knew it could be controversial to choose either party’s candidate for the top office in the nation. But in an era of sweeping presidential power, we must weigh in on this most important political race in the country. Standing on the sidelines is no longer an option for us.

“I’m proud to announce today that the HSLF board of directors—which is comprised of both Democrats and Republicans—has voted unanimously to endorse Barack Obama for President. The Obama-Biden ticket is the better choice on animal protection, and we urge all voters who care about the humane treatment of animals, no matter what their party affiliation, to vote for them.”

Read the rest of the article to find out where the candidates stand on various animal issues. Hint: Palin was the deciding factor that inspired this endorsement.

Sorry to “get political”, but it really was (originally) motivated by the animals. Until Sarah Palin was introduced, I never would have posted anything about a candidate here. (It’s only because she’s running as VP that it would offend anyone. But I consider her attitude toward animals on the same level with Michael Vick, who everyone posted comments about all over the Internet, and no one was offended by that.) So I continue to Google out of a mix of curiosity, despair and worry, and post things that I find interesting. I don’t get many visitors, so this is more for my own interests, like starting a new collection of something.

I was happy to find this today:

Biden: Palin will have to defend climate views

Here’s the beginning excerpt:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will eventually have to defend “some fairly extreme views” on climate change when she starts granting interviews as Republican presidential hopeful John McCain’s running mate, her Democratic rival Joe Biden said Monday.

“Her views on everything from global warming to a host of other things, if they are as presented, they are pretty far out there,” said Biden, Democrat Barack Obama’s running mate, during a town hall-style meeting. “She’s going to have to defend those positions.”

Palin has expressed doubt over whether human activity has contributed to global warming and has clashed with environmentalists over classifying the polar bear as a threatened species and her defense of Alaska’s right to shoot down wolves from the air to boost caribou and moose herds for hunters.

(The rest doesn’t pertain to animals.)