Orange. The new color of power.

It's taken me all day to blog about Hillary. I've been pretty torn about where to begin because I feel, well, a lot of sad.

I watched my Presidential candidate last night give what will probably go down as the best speech of the convention, potentially the best speech of her life to date and yet, it won't get us what we want.

Before I begin, I would like to point out that knowing what I know now about Bill Clinton, I would vote for him again. And again. And twice on Sunday. I don't care a whit about his dalliances in reference to how he ran the country. Good Lord, if we could have gotten Bush a Lewinsky, maybe the country wouldn't be heading toward the toilet. If it offends your delicate sensibilities that I would still vote for him, I'm not sorry. I'm just not.

And part of the reason I would vote for him, a large part of it is, Hillary. You know without her, he's still a Rhodes Scholar and all that jazz, but she is part of what makes him great. I'm sure that can be a burden for him at times knowing that she is the reason, but damn it all she is. And the proof was in the pudding last night.

Anyone catch Michelle Obama's face as she watched the speech? Pure speculation on my part, but at first she looked really nervous and then I almost think there might have been something else. Was she thinking, we should have gone with her for VP? Was she thinking, damn, that woman really is a President in the making? Was she thinking, Barack better have a better speech?

Is it me, or is it ironic that at the end of the day, Hillary is the kingmaker? Everyone said she had to go out there and make it nice and unified for Obama because he really needs her supporters to get on the bus. Gee, isn't that just dandy. She loses the nomination and she has to go out and make him the next POTUS.

Hillary was dynamic. She was magnanimous. She was Al Gore saying, yes Mr. Bush, you are the President and I'm not and that's fine because history is going to judge you as an idiot after time passes and well, I'll still be holding the Nobel Prize. In fact, she was so fantastic, I'm just waiting for the media, or the Republicans or any number of the morons out to get her to say, "She was too good." Because she almost might have been.

Hillary was beyond compare and in that moment when the speech was over and the applause were still going, I thought, she was always the one I wanted to vote for and I should have done more to make that happen. I think when Chelsea called her "her hero" it wasn't a cute little soundbite, it was the truth because in that moment that was the campaign and everything since and last night, she was heroic.

One of the stations interviewed an African American delegate who talked about how much Senator Clinton was her candidate and how this woman is the one in her family on election day to call people to remind them to get out the vote. And you know what she followed that up with? "This year, they are going to have to call me. I'm just not sure I can vote for Obama."

Not to mention all the hidden bigots who tell the pollsters they will vote for him and then tell their families they won't, or won't pull the lever when it comes down to it. I have those dear folks in my own family. I'll never understand how they live with themselves, but at least I don't have to BE them.

How is he going to get elected ? Lifelong Democrats saying they can't vote for him? People who never stray from party lines? They can't bring themselves to vote for McCain, but they will stay home. In this great country of ours where it is an honor and a privilege to vote, they will choose to stay home. What then?

I urge you, search your heart on the issues. As Senator Clinton said last night, why were you in the campaign, for her or for the issue? At the end of the day it is the issue. But, it certainly would have been nice to have her experience, her connections, her poise and all that she brought to the table. God forbid he isn't elected, I know what I'll be doing in 2011-2012.