With grace, fierce intellect and an unshakeable sense of purpose, Hillary Rodham Clinton did her thang in Denver last night. She did her best to unify the fractured Democratic party.
She came with a mission that was threefold: thank and console her supporters; remind the rest of us of her place in the nation and in history and and why we should expect to see her again in 2012 and, last but not least, exhort everyone with a brain to get behind Barack Obama or explain to their shrinks why four more years of George Bush/John McCain is acceptable.
For me, what this election comes down to is the future. My future, that of my family's and of this nation. I want everyone, or darn near everyone, to have health insurance so they stop going to the emergency room and running up bills that those of us with insurance then pay. I want more emphasis on education and less on fighting wars. I want the return of our moral authority, not our ability to bully other countries.
Mostly, I just want peace. And although my life is really good, I can't know peace while 19-year-olds are dying in Iraq or coming back without their legs. I can't fake peace when children are going to horrific schools while my son enjoys the best our educational system has to offer.
Chatting with an acquaintance recently, she archly told me she doesn't read the newspaper or listen to the news. "It is too depressing and I don't want to live my life in fear," she said.
Nice try. The reality is kids will die in wars, people will suffer without health care and it will all happen even if we pretend not to notice. I know there is an emotional cost, but my conscience demands that I notice. I want a president who notices. Et tu?
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