It's Time for Hillary Clinton to Step Aside

I find it fascinating the differences between this afternoon's reporting by CNN and the BBC about the Democratic Party's race for the Presidential nomination.

CNN seems intent on trying to pander to the FOX NEWS crowd (remember kids, "garbage in=garbage out"), instead of doing responsible objective journalism. And I'm sad (but at least relieved) to see that a British news crew has gotten it right.

And I'm not just talking about today, but in general, the BBC just beats the pants off of any news network anywhere.

I'm agreed with the BBC and anyone else capable of doing the math, that Barack Obama has all but had the race to himself for weeks. Furthermore, I'd say that Hillary would have been wise to get behind him (or even accept the possibility of a VP spot on the ballot), rather than prolong the inevitable.

CNN has been trying to keep this race on life support for months. Even today, as you can see in these stories, they have yet to report the fact that Obama's campaign has overtaken Clinton with the pledge of some additional superdelegates.

As a lifelong Democrat, and someone who has always DREAMED of the day a woman would be able to make a viable run for the White House, I was pleased when Hillary Clinton stepped up to the plate this past year.

But I'm also just as thrilled to know that a man of color like Barack Obama can step into that same arena and make the same viable run for the White House.

It's not that either one is more or less qualified to be President in my view. In fact, I think they're both equal but in different ways.

And as much as it pains me to say this as a woman, I don't think that person during these times, is Hillary Clinton.

In my European travels, I've met many people willing to discuss politics and the thing that has always stuck with me is how cynical most Europeans are about their governments, and what they expect of them. Scandals rarely rock anyone's Presidency because they've been around longer and have seen it all before. I don't really blame them for it, I just think that as a younger nation, we haven't seen it all, so we still expect something of our public leaders.

It's why Obama's campaign has people who support him walking with a spring in their step and a smile on their face. It's why people follow me into grocery stores and say "I like your bumper sticker" (seriously had that happen yesterday) or honk and wave at me.

If Mrs. Clinton wants to show us how much class and determination she really has, she'll start heading for the door on her bid for the Presidency, and start working on mending the fences between her supporters so that they can vote for Obama, and not head for McCain, who will do nothing but continue the quagmire we're in now.

Yes, it's time for Hillary (and CNN) to recognize that the race is over. It's time for us Democrats, Independents, and disillusioned Republicans to get behind the man who can offer us hope for the future, that being someone willing to lead us out of Iraq, and into a leadership role in our mounting global environmental crisis.

And that person is Barack Obama.