American lives. Be mindful and grateful.

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.

He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.

He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.

He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

You complain about how hot it is.

He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

You see only what the media wants you to see.

He sees the broken bodies lying around him.

You talk trash about your 'buddies' that aren't with you.

He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.

He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.

He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.

He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.

He doesn't get to eat today.

He stays up for days on end. So you stay up for 16 hours.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.

He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.

He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.

He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.

He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.

You stay at home and watch TV.

He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.

He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.

You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.

He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.

You complain of a 'headache', and call in sick.

He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.

Voting your conscience is not always right.

In short, conscience may not always be right. And one is not obliged to follow a sick or erroneous conscience. So the advice to follow one's conscience is deficient. It needs to be a well-formed and healthy conscience.

Examples of sick consciences are scrupulosity and laxity. The first feels guilt where there is no sin, the latter feels no guilt despite the sin. And if one has a sick conscience, then one needs to see a spiritual director for "treatment".

If one's conscience is healthy, then there is still a need to inform or educate it. The bishops issued guidelines in a document entitled "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States" where it was stated:

34. Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods. A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter’s intent is to support that position. In such cases a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate’s
opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity.

42. As Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate’s position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter’s support. Yet a candidate’s position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support.

These and others would have made it clear to any conscientious Catholic that a vote for Obama was immoral. However, others did not see it that way because they were mislead by fake Catholic groups who misrepresented the Catholic standards and by the politicians themselves who misrepresented their positions. Because of this, one has the duty to get down to the truth by looking at the candidate's voting records and past activities to confirm the veracity of his claims.

References:
1. http://www.ewtn.com/library/scriptur/conscien.txt
2. http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/