Grand Slam For Hillary

On a night where two political rivals needed a great speech, where millions of potential voters may have been at stake, where the November 2008 election could have been lost, Hillary Rodham Clinton was all aces.

As I'd written here several times before, I had never been a fan of Hillary Rodham Clinton. That may have changed after she gave what was probably the most powerful speech a runner-up has ever given. She came through in every way. And in doing so, I think I understand her a little more.

Not surprisingly, the Republican machine went heavily on the attack just moments after the speech. I would have expected nothing less. They wouldn't get the speech. It wasn't written for them. It was a message for others. They couldn't understand.

This speech was not for me, either. I was already heavily entrenched in the Barack Obama camp. I didn't need convincing.

No, this was a speech for the supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton -- supporters who were not convinced they should vote for Obama.

This was a speech for women from a generation before me. This was for the women who grew up watching their mothers suffer as second-class citizens, who wanted a better life for themselves and their daughters, who faced glass ceilings, sexism and hatred at every turn. This was a speech for these women, women who consider Hillary Rodham Clinton not only as one of them, but as their leader and spokesperson.

I cannot pretend to be or to understand that generation of women. I cannot begin to feel what they have felt, or to see what they had seen in Hillary. I can, being a person of conscience, appreciate their thoughts and feelings and I can recognize what Hillary did last night.

And, for the first time, I became a fan of hers.

In a moment where Obama needed her, where she herself needed her, and where the country needed her, Hillary shined as brightly as ever.