Washington ? Former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, the first black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, said Wednesday that in times of trouble, a woman president could move the nation “toward peace, prosperity and progress.”

Moseley-Braun, 55, who has already made campaign appearances in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, filed papers establishing a presidential exploratory committee Wednesday afternoon.

Describing herself as a “peace dove and budget hawk,” she criticized the Bush administration for its push for war against Iraq and assailed the president’s tax cut, saying that budget deficits are a major concern and “we have no right” to force our children to pay for tax rebates today.