It makes sense to eat lower on the food chain.

Over 200,000 porpoises are killed every year by fishermen seeking tuna in the Pacific. Sea turtles are similarly killed in Caribbean shrimp operations. Some animals are killed because, as carnivores, they compete with the human predator for the right to kill other animals for food, including wild game and domesticated species raised by livestock ranchers. Alaskan hunters are eager to reduce the wolf population in their state because this animal is a predator of moose.

Cougars, coyotes and wolves are considered a menace to the cattle and sheep industries, and livestock ranchers have engaged in a large-scale campaign to exterminate them. Two species of wolves are now endangered, and very few wolves can be found in the United States except in Alaska and northeastern Minnesota. The relatively small number of eagles in the U.S. is largely due to the destruction of this species by livestock ranchers, particularly those in the sheep business.

Herbivorous animals that inhabit rangeland areas are also killed by the livestock industry because they compete with cattle arid sheep for food. Large numbers of kangaroos are being exterminated in Australia, while in the United States livestock ranchers seek to destroy wild horses, wild burros, deer, elk, antelope and prairie dogs.

Kathleen Marquardt, founder of Putting People First (an anti-animal rights group) writes in her 1993 book, Animal Scam: the Beastly Abuse of Human Rights, that the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) "now encourages vegetarianism, the banning of fur, and the eventual end to all animal research, not just ‘cruel’ animal research." Marquardt writes that the Humane Society now supports vegetarianism.

According to Marquardt, "The typical animal rights activist is a white woman making about $30,000 a year. She is most likely a schoolteacher, nurse, or government worker. She usually has a college degree or even an advanced degree, is in her thirties or forties, and lives in a city."

Marquardt cites studies indicating that animal rights activists tend to identify with liberal causes such as feminism and environmentalism. "Every year," writes the Reverend Andrew Linzey, author of Christianity and the Rights of Animals, "I receive hundreds of anguished letters from Christians who are so distressed by the insensitivity to animals shown by mainstream churches that they have left them or are on the verge of doing so." It is not surprising, therefore, that Marquardt reports that "Most activists share a bias against Western civilization and its Judeo-Christian foundations."

According to Marquardt, the "political clout" of the animal rights movement "is surprisingly bipartisan. But most of the leading politicians working with the animal rights movement are liberal Democrats." Marquardt makes mention of Senator Barbara Boxer of California, Nevada Congressman Jim Bilbray, Charlie Rose of North Carolina, Tom Lantos and Gerry Studds.

Marquardt admits, however, that "some Republicans are animal rightists, too. Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas often supports animal rights causes—except, of course, those pertaining to cattle, a major business in Kansas. Senator Robert Smith of New Hampshire was a founder of the Congressional Friends of Animals. Bob Dornan of California, one of the most conservative House members, is an animal rights advocate—he cosponsored legislation banning the use of animals in testing cosmetics and received a PETA award. And Manhattan Congressman Bill Green promoted legislation that would have shut down over 90 million acres of federal land to hunting, fishing, and trapping."

Marquardt states further that "Although he’s not an elected official, a conservative political figure who, surprisingly, is on the other side is G. Gordon Liddy, author Will and a key figure in the 1972 Watergate uproar. When I went on Liddy’s radio show, he and PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk greeted each other with hugs and kisses and lots of warm words.

"With allies in both political parties and across the ideological spectrum," concludes Marquardt, "the animal rights movement has been able to score some great successes, regardless of which party controls the White House or Capitol Hill."

Obama for America says:

Senator Obama realizes that animal welfare means protecting the wildlife whose ecosystems are being threatened by global climate change. To combat this serious problem, he has proposed an aggressive plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050.

As an Illinois State Senator and United States Senator, Obama has been a champion of animal-friendly legislation and policy. He has repeatedly voted to increase penalties for animal cruelty and violence, and to require psychological counseling for those who engage in this behavior. He has co-sponsored bills to ban the slaughter of horses and wild burros, increase penalties for animal fighting, prohibit dog fighting, and penalize spectators for engaging in dog fighting. He has supported additional funding for the Animal Care division within the Department of Agriculture, and sought funds to enforce the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and the federal animal fighting law. He has cosponsored legislation to promote the veterinary profession, including providing grants to encourage graduates to work in underserved rural and inner city areas or specialize in public health and biomedical research. And Obama voted to require the Food and Drug Administration to update labeling standards for pet food and create a national registry or early warning system for adulterated pet food.

As president, Obama will continue to respect and support animals. He will make sure that we treat animal cruelty, exploitation, and neglect like the serious crime it is, and address its connection to broader patterns of violence. He will support the role pets play as companions by crafting policies that honor the bonds between family and pet. Obama will encourage and support the role animals play in assisting humans, from search and rescue to aiding persons with disabilities. This means we need to support their trainers and the people they assist, and, most importantly, make sure that animals employed by humans are well-treated.