The healing process

The Democratic Party, which I am proud to be a part of, has a chance to unite like no other time. Hillary's run for the White House was admirable, but was very tough on the party faithful. We have long had the reputation for being so unorganized that it was "like herding cats". We have a chance to remedy that exact thought. Barack Obama's campaign took the high road often throughout this primary, which enticed progressives, independents, moderate Dems, and even some Republicans. That method worked.

Some are speaking of a "Dream ticket" now that she has suspended her campaign. That would be fatal for the Democrats in the general election. Hillary's record on Iraq is one reason why, President Clinton is a second reason why, and third, it undercuts Senator Obama's message of "change". I have great respect for both Clinton's, however, some of that admiration soured during the primary. Listening to Jeff Farias at the moment, and he just pointed out to a caller that so many Democrats were angry when both Al Gore and John Kerry did not fight enough when they had the chance, I was one of those Democrats. So, in Hillary's defense, it was good to see some fire within our party. That said, she threw everything she had at Senator Obama. Bad idea!

We now have to remedy the bitterness between Clinton supporters and Obama supporters. Hillary delivered the first installment of "healing" on Saturday. She brilliantly discussed her historic run, Senator Obama's historic victory, and how historic our collective support will be. As Democrats, we have been so wounded over the last 8 years, our country taken away from us. If the number of Hillary supporters turn to Senator McCain, as many claim they will, then we are sure to see another devastating 4-8 years. We cannot allow that. Many will choose to claim sexism on the part of many pundits like Keith Olbermann, or Chris Matthews, or blame talk show hosts like Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy, or Stephanie Miller, and you are wrong to do so. The blame lays at the feet of Hillary and her campaign handlers. It lays at the feet of her votes on Iraq and Iran. I suggest people examine the policies of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, see the common ground they share, and then compare that to Senator McCain. We must unify, prove the Republican noise machine wrong, and move forward. Below is Hillary's speech, it was fantastic.