And So it Begins...

Hillary Clinton announced her intention to run for President on Saturday. I'm surprised at how excited I am by this. After all, this has been expected for a long time, and I'm not sure that she could win the Presidency even if she gains the Democratic nomination.

And yet, if any woman can ever do it, she can. She already knows that the attacks will be blistering and hateful, and yet, she's going to do it anyway. She knows what's coming, and maybe she might even handle it better than her husband did. And despite the attempts to paint her as a radical leftist, she seems to be the kind of centrist Democrat I have become. A Clinton Democrat.

I still remember a rather optimistic journal entry the night the Bill Clinton was first elected. At the time, I did not understand the anger of the Republican party and their determination to pull the rug out from under the President, again, and again, and again. Oh, Bill Clinton was far from perfect, but his middle way spoke to the pragmatist in me. When I hear his voice on the radio, it takes me back to a time when properity was rising at all levels of society and America was respected in the world.

This is a different time. After six, and by the time this is over, eight years of belligerence and hubris on the part of the Bush Administration, it will take someone who is smart, strong, and diplomatic to undo some of the damage that has been done, both domestically and abroad.

As much as I respect her, it is hard to tell at this point if she is the best person for the job. I hope she is. With regard to Barak Obama, I am interested, but cautious about him. I am tired of John Edwards and deeply disappointed in John Kerry.

I admire Hillary for her willingness to stand up and be the lightning rod she has become. The Grand Outrage Party has been salivating at the prospect of running against her. But some of their fire has been extinguished by years of lies, hypocrisy, and hate-filled finger pointing. At one point in this administration, some 70 percent of Americans allegedly believed that Saddam Hussien was responsible for 9/11, now, finally, I hope by now that the majority of this country is starting to be able to see through the Republican mean machine.

And ya gotta love the sense of humor her staff is showing right out to of the gate - calling her fundraising efforts "Hillraisers."