Hillary's first (and only) elected office is as a Senator from NY, a race she would not have won if she had not been the wife of an ex-president (and with some luck thrown in that one, too- remmeber Rudy dropped out due to prostate cancer).

That's not to minimize Hillary- she is truly an intelligent woman with many accomplishments. In many ways I admire her and when I hear her speak I think she's articulate and has good ideas. But the voters have chosen to go with Obama, and the new style he brings, rather than continue the old style political fighting from the last couple of decades.

Given the extraordinary circumstances around both HIllary and Obama, and this time in our country's history, it's almost as if fate itself gave Americas the chance to choose our destiny. That extends to the Nov. election, too.

Hillary rose at a meteoric pace solely and completely both because of and despite the shadow cast over her by the titanic figure of William Jefferson Clinton.