International opinion about America changed positively after Barack Obama was elected. Even though this change has come later than our country needed, it is about time that the United States had a leader that emphasized the population of our country that values a woman’s opinion and a woman’s right to choose. It is a step forward for both men and women that we have a president who will actually read the fine print and who is always looking out for his citizens. President-elect Obama was criticized because he voted against a bill to ban late-term abortions. But when pressed for his reasoning, he clarified that he voted against the bill because it did not include a stipulation that allowed for late-term abortions when they were to affect the mother’s health. He has proven to be a detail-oriented man who will make decisions after critically thinking about them.

As performance artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña noted in his performance of “”El Mexorcist”” at Tucson’s Museum of Art, which is more important, a fertilized egg or Iraqi orphans? Obama clearly has his priorities in order. America does not need someone who will be nit-picking little issues while larger problems remain untouched. George W. Bush’s priorities and tactics mirrored those of the misguided organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). One of PETA’s recent efforts was to convince Palm Beach Atlantic University to change their mascot from the fighting sailfish to the fabricated “”sea kitten.”” PETA argued that a friendly fish face would deter people from consuming seafood. Meanwhile, real animal rights violations were put on hold. Our country has wasted its time and money on frivolous things for the past eight years and it is time that we get back to work to better our country.

– Alexandria Kassman is a creative writing and Spanish senior.