Barack and Hillary for America

I have a dream. That a black man and a white woman will join hands and have the courage to lead this country on the right path.

It took forty years, but us Democrats are on the brink of doing something truly special. For once we are organized and right at the same time. Because of this, I know we will win in November. But first Senator Obama must show he will only take the best and the brightest as his VP.

He must choose someone who is his equal. Only a superstar Democrat will suffice. Yes, Edwards, Richardson and Sebelius are all good choices. But clearly they are not superstars no matter what people in Iowa, New Mexico or Kansas tell you. And I'm sure there are more than enough people in those states who will tell you these politicians are no where close to superstardom.

Hillary on the other hand is a bonifide superstar. Maybe it's mostly because of her Clinton name, but I believe it's something much more than that. People have seen her go through a lot and they feel a connection to her. When she ran for the Senate in NY, I had more than a few girlfriends who chanted "Woman Power". I did want "Woman Power" but I privately felt that Hillary wasn't the woman I wanted to carry the banner.

I was young then and falsely believed that Hillary was weak because she had decided to stay with Bill after he so brutally humiliated her in front of a nation. It was only later that I realized it takes a great deal more strength to forgive. And it takes a special kind of person to recover after falling on their face while everyone is looking. Hillary is a special kind of person because she did just that.

As the junior senator from New York she was so well-liked that calls for her to run in 2008 came almost immediately. She may have suffered from a bit of hubris because of it, but she was no doubt qualified to take up the banner for the Democrats. And she did.

Her candidacy was historic, but I grew up during the Clinton years when women were told they could do anything. I didn't feel any special urge to vote for her just because she was a woman. Perhaps that was the great legacy of her husband's presidency, the fact that his wife made women feel like they could rule the world.

I supported Hillary because I had heard her speak out against a LNG facility in Long Island Sound that I helped campaign against. She talked about renewable energy resources and caring about our impact on the environment, values I hold truly dear. So I become a Hillary convert.

Then a funny thing happened on the eve of the Iowa caucuses. I saw Barack Obama give a speech on television. Everything he said resonated with me. He was right about Washington being broken. And he was right in saying that Americans needed to take back their country.

I didn't vote in 2004, because I wasn't truly energized about John Kerry's campaign. But after hearing Obama's speech, I felt compelled to vote for him. I wanted other people to vote as well. If they voted for Obama, great. If they voted for Hillary that was ok too, because I knew we both had the same desire to fundamentally change the course of politics.

Of course not every aspect of politics can change. Politics will always be a contact sport. If you can't take a punch or have thin skin you shouldn't even think about going into government. This is why Hillary is a great politician, because she can take the lumps and then dish them out twice as hard. But there 's a difference between picking a fight and fighting because someone hit you first.

Obama made Hillary seem like she was picking a fight even though she was just being a politician. Because of that, Hillary became a villain to many Obama supporters. I questioned her tactics. And I began to think she would do anything to become President.

I believe now that's not really true. She wants to help this country just like Obama does and she knows very well that you can't do much unless you win. So let us Democrats throw aside these petty grievances and realize the best way to win in November is to have the two strongest Democrats on the same ticket.

I have a dream.