Teen has her mind made up – she likes McCain

Proudly displaying a "Vote John McCain" icon on her MySpace pate, Valerie Martinez, a senior at Modesto High School, has no doubts about who she'd vote for come election time.

Though she is not old enough to vote yet, she has her mind made up.

"I'd vote for John McCain, because he has the most experience," she said. "With his involvement in Vietnam backing him, I think he has the best solutions for the Iraq war."

Like many other Americans, Martinez views the war in Iraq as the most important issue of the upcoming election.

"The major political issue today is how we are going to get out of Iraq," she said. "For me, it's how we are going to pay it all off. Tax increases are also pretty important to me, because as I get older I'll have to start paying."

Martinez relies on just about everything for her political knowledge, from discussions in school to her parents. However, she doesn't want to be involved with campaigning.

"I guess you could say that I'm somewhat involved. But being a part of a campaign, no," she said. "I think I would get too much political 'information' shoved down my throat. And that's something I don't want to be a part of."