Barack Obama: Senator from Illinois

Foreign policy: While Obama agrees that the surge strategy has made a difference in Iraq, he believes that it has failed. While he has not promised to do so, he hopes to remove all troops from Iraq by 2013. He has criticized Clinton for being inconsistent about the Iraq War and believes that the world is more dangerous because of Bush’s actions. Obama has called China a competitor but stresses that it is not an enemy. He hopes to strengthen the U.S.-Mexico relationship and says that U.S. policy should promote human rights and democracy. He vows to meet with Fidel Castro, Kim Jung Il and Hugo Chavez and has criticized the Bush administration for failing to do so.

Health are and Social Security: Obama has criticized Clinton for her support of health care mandates and believes that most people simply cannot afford health insurance. He will increase competition in the insurance and drug markets and hopes to drive down health care costs. His health care plan would cut the average family’s premium by $2,500 a year.

Obama does not believe that raising the retirement age and cutting benefits will improve the Social Security system. He will stop efforts to privatize Social Security and believes that the wealthy should pay slightly more on the payroll tax.

Education: In 2007, Obama explained his idea to implement a national program to reconstruct “crumbling school buildings.” He supports higher teacher pay in exchange for increased teacher accountability. He will address the achievement gap between students and hopes to add 25,000 teachers to high-need areas. In 1998, he stated that any student with a B-average or greater should be granted a free education at a public college.

Immigration: Obama supports granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants and claims that their lack of identification is a public safety concern. His reform would include a border wall and increased border security. He also hopes to allow immigrants a faster path to citizenship. He voted yes on building a fence along the Mexican border and on allowing illegal immigrants to participate in Social Security.

Environment: Obama supports nuclear power research as long as it is safeguarded against waste. In 2004, he said that the United States should invest in alternative energy sources and, in 2005, voted yes on reducing oil usage by 40 percent by 2025. In 1996, he spent three months teaching minority students about recycling.

Civil rights and domestic issues: Obama is both pro-choice and supportive of embryonic stem-cell research. In 2005, he voted yes on spending $100 million to reduce teen pregnancy through sex education and contraceptives. He has consistently stated his support for strong civil unions but is opposed to gay marriage. In 2007, he stated that the Confederate flag belongs in a museum rather than on the state house. He supports affirmative action in colleges and the government.

John Edwards: Former Senator from North Carolina

Foreign policy: Edwards has vowed to remove 40,000 troops from Iraq by 2009, but has not pledged to remove all troops by any particular date. He wants the United States to focus on political progress in Iraq and is willing to accept responsibility for the “huge price of war on America.” Edwards will keep troops at the embassy and Iraqi border, but will keep them out of the civil war.

Edwards has criticized U.S. policy toward Latin America, claiming that it is “either disengaged or bullying.” He hopes to make primary school available to 100 million children in Africa. Edwards believes that the United States should send economic aid to Pakistan, but not directly to Musharraf. He also hopes to strengthen sanctions on Iran.

Health care and Social Security: Edwards hopes to implement universal health care coverage by 2009 and believes that members of Congress should be supportive of health care for all or face losing their own coverage. He has criticized Obama’s plan, claiming that it will leave 15 million uncovered. He believes that mental health care should receive the same coverage as physical health care and that same-sex couples should receive the same health care benefits as married couples.

Edwards does not support the privatization of Social Security. He does not believe in reducing benefits or raising the retirement age. He is supportive of implementing a federal match for every dollar put into savings and will keep the stock market out of Social Security.

Education: Edwards hopes to implement universal pre-kindergarten for all four year-olds. He also believes that all community colleges and public universities should be free. Edwards supports individual prayer in public schools, but not teacher-led prayer. He supports higher teacher pay in low-income schools and has stated that private school vouchers drain resources from public schools. He has voted yes on funding smaller classes and on funding student testing instead of private tutors.

Immigration: Edwards will focus on ensuring that parents will not be separated from their children. He will not allow illegal immigrants to receive driver’s licenses unless they are working toward citizenships. Although he is willing to increase border security, he will welcome immigrants with a faster, more accessible legalization program.

Environment: Edwards will encourage Americans to give up SUVs and make other sacrifices to deal with climate change. He does not support developing nuclear power in the United States. and wants to convert agricultural waste into energy products. He will aim to reduce greenhouse emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050.

Civil rights and domestic issues: Edwards has stated that a woman’s right to abortion is constitutionally protected. He supports both funds for family planning and embryonic stem cell research. Although he is opposed to gay marriage (though he has also stated that his views about this are “conflicted”), he supports civil unions and wants to abolish the “don’t-ask-don’t-tell” policy. He wants to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state house and has stated his support for the Patriot Act, as long as watchdogs protect civil liberties.

Hillary Clinton: Senator from New York

Foreign policy: In 2002, Clinton voted yes on authorizing military force against Iraq. Since then, she has stated that she is opposed to President Bush’s handling of the war but does not regret her war vote. Although she has stated that Iran may be pursuing nuclear weapons and that she will do everything in her power to prevent this, she does not support “a rush to war.” Clinton believes in taking a diplomatic approach toward China and supported Palestine in 1998, before Bill Clinton did. In 2000, she stated that human rights are “central to our foreign policy objectives this century.”

Health care and Social Security: Although Clinton’s attempts at health care reform in the 1990s failed, she is dedicated to implementing universal health care coverage by the end of her second term. She hopes to implement mandates for individuals, industry and employers and wants to ensure that insurance companies cannot deny people coverage.

In 2007, she stated that nobody should ever try to privatize Social Security and has claimed that it is one of the greatest inventions in the history of American democracy. She hopes to establish a bipartisan commission on Social Security.

Education: Clinton is determined to send more teachers to hard-to-serve areas and hopes to implement universal pre-kindergarten. In 1999, she announced her hopes to increase teacher salaries in order to alleviate the teacher shortage. She believes in allowing student prayer but no religious instruction in public schools.

Immigration: Though Clinton is opposed to distributing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, she wants to crack down on employers who exploit undocumented workers. She will establish more border patrolling on both the Mexican and Canadian borders but supports comprehensive reform to bring 12 million illegal immigrants “out of the shadows.” In 2006, she voted yes on building a fence along the Mexican border.

Environment: Clinton believes that investing in alternative energy will create jobs that won’t be outsourced. In May 2007, she voted yes on including global warming as a factor in federal project planning. She is supportive of green-collar job training and believes that reducing air pollution will improve children’s health.

Civil rights and domestic issues: While Clinton has stated that she hopes to keep abortion “safe, legal and rare into the next century,” she often explains that she is not pro-abortion but is instead pro-choice. She has voted yes on expanding research to include more embryonic stem cell lines. In 2000, she marched in a gay pride parade in New York City and supports civil unions with “full equality of benefits, rights and privileges.”

Dennis Kucinich: Representative from Ohio 10th district

Foreign policy: Kucinich believes that Americans have been misled about the Iraqi war. He wants to remove all troops by 2013 and wants to “reconstruct and rehabilitate” Iraq. He does not believe that Iran poses a threat to the United States.

Kucinich will promote international treaties and hopes to deter foreign arms transfers to China. He believes that the Cuba travel ban should remain in place until political prisoners are released.

Health care and Social Security: Kucinich has criticized insurance companies for their ability to make money by not providing health care. He supports universal not-for-profit health care, claiming that this is the best alternative to Hillary Clinton’s pro-HMO system. He hopes to raise the cap to protect Social Security and has threatened to block privatization. Kucinich wants to return the retirement age to 65 and voted no on raising 401 (k) limits.

Education: Kucinich wants to cut the Pentagon budget by 15 percent in order to implement tuition-free college. He does not support No Child Left Behind or the notion of testing as the “be-all and end-all” of education. He voted yes on $84 million in grants for Black and Hispanic colleges and wants to reduce class sizes to 19 children for grades one through three.

Immigration: Kucinich hopes to promote Spanish as a second national language. He voted no on building a fence along the Mexican border and believes that the United States should focus on building relationships, rather than walls, between countries. He voted no on reporting illegal immigrants who receive hospital treatment.

Environment: Kucinich voted against drilling in Alaska and believes that nuclear waste poses a great danger. He supports a Global Green Deal for renewable energy and believes that the current U.S. approach to energy results in global warring.

Civil rights and domestic issues: Kucinich believes that abortions should always be legal. He hopes to minimize abortions through preventative education and health care. Although he believed for most of his life that life begins at conception, he shifted from pro-life to pro-choice in 2002. He voted yes on expanding embryonic stem cell research. Kucinich supports gay marriage and wants to overturn the Patriot Act as unconstitutional.

Mike Gravel: Former Senator from Alaska

Foreign policy: Gravel believes that American troops can be pulled out of Iraq in 120 days. He does not believe that Iran has ever posed a threat to U.S. security.

Gravel hopes to recognize Cuba and improve relations with Chavez. He believes that the United States should engage in both bilateral and multilateral talks with North Korea. He does not support placing U.S. troops in Darfur because he does not believe that Africans trust the United States.

Health care and Social Security: Gravel supports the implementation of universal coverage. He has stated that everybody should have access to the same health care and hopes to phase out Medicare and Medicaid over time. Gravel also wants money to be placed into the Trust Fund and invested properly.

Education: In order to improve the U.S. education system, Gravel wants to extend both the school day and the school year. He promises to make education a top priority and supports merit pay for teachers.

Immigration: Gravel has stated that he would be embarrassed to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. He hopes to suspend raids that would separate families and has said, “We’re all immigrants.”

Environment: Gravel believes that a reliance on wind power will cure the American dependency on oil. In 2006, he stated that global warming should be a matter of national security. He does not support investing in nuclear energy because of the harmful impact of nuclear waste.

Civil rights and domestic issues: Gravel is pro-choice and is opposed to limiting embryonic stem cell research. He believes that marriage is not a religious term because it preceded religion and, therefore, he supports same-sex marriage. He believes that the concept of a civil union automatically makes gays second-class citizens.

Reporter: Maggie Griffiths - 01/23/07