Hillary Clinton's Saturday speech

June 7, 2008
I'm so very proud of Hillary. Everything I'd hoped about her is true in these words. She expressed them with strength and grace. I had some frustration with her in the primary season of 2008, but I'll chalk it up to bad advice and believe this speech identifies the real Hillary Clinton.

Here are some excerpts I found particularly meaningul:

"I've told you before about Florence Steen of South Dakota who was 88 years old and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside. Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot.
She passed away soon after and, under state law, her ballot didn't count, but her daughter later told a reporter, "My dad's an ornery, old cowboy, and he didn't like it when he heard mom's vote wouldn't be counted. I don't think he had voted in 20 years, but he voted in place of my mom."

Love, politics, life/death, that story has everything...

"You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives."

I like the phrase "...the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives."

"I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life, and I want the same for all Americans.
And until that day comes, you'll always find me on the front lines of democracy, fighting for the future."

I admire her dedication and wish I had more of it for myself.

"The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States."

"I endorse him and throw my full support behind him."

"Now, when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity and progress. And that's exactly what we're going to do, by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the dorrs of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.

She's disappointed, tired, discouraged, and receiving pressure from all sides, but in the end she unequivocally comes out for Barack Obama.

"Now, I understand — I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family. And now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.
We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths have merged. And we're all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around, because so much is at stake.
It is this belief, this optimism that Senator Obama and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard. So today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes we can!"

She acknowledges that her supporters may not be disposed to vote for or support Barack Obama, but she reminds them that this is about a greater purpose than Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. I like that she uses his campaign slogan - 'we' becomes Hillary supporters and Barack supporters.