Hubris

Do I believe that Eliot Spitzer is the target of a political witch hunt by the Bush Justice Department? Up to a certain point yes, but when you have the arrogance to not follow your own advice you are royally screwed by your own lack of judgement.

And that's what makes it worse :

People can be very unforgiving of moral crusaders who are caught with their hands in the cookie jar. And money laundering is a far more serious crime for a government official than paying for sex. He might have been forgiven for an affair or even being caught with a prostitute after some time spent with family, a few stiff and tearful press conferences with his wife standing grimly at his side. It’s easy to cast that as a private matter. But when you make a career of fighting financial improprieties and then get caught in some of your own, it’s not easy to be forgiven for that.

I have been searching for days the words to say exactly what Erin Kotecki Vest of Queen Of Spain has said so eloquently: Please Ms. Clinton, do something so extraordinary nobody would expect you to do. Step down and make these elections not about you winning nomination but about healing the nation.

I truly believed you would be the best person for the job, and I had this nagging thought in the back of my mind that is now at the forefront. The thought that drove me on Super Tuesday to Vote for Senator Obama and the thought that is the driving force as I write tonight: Senator Hillary Clinton divides this country.

It’s not fair. It’s not right. And under just about ANY other circumstance I would go to the mat for you. However we are a wounded and deeply divided nation. We are a nation at war. We are a nation at odds with each-other. It’s ugly. I thought you could get people past it. I really did.

When I told myself it was gender that got people going, I refrained from asking and wanting you to step aside. Simply on principle, I wanted to see you run and win because they said it couldn’t be done. Because it was my belief, this was all about being a girl.

It’s not, and I was wrong.

I firmly believe while the gender issue has given you a handicap I hope we all one day overcome, it is NOT the reason people have a gut reaction to you or your campaign or your legacy.

Enter the Senator from Illinois, and what I think could be your true legacy. If you were to step aside now, shockingly early and shockingly un-Hilllary-like, you could galvanize an entire nation behind your party. If you were to throw your weight, and your tremendous political clout behind Senator Obama you could still change the world and make your mark in a way no one would expect and everyone would admire.

I don’t want to see you throw in the towel because the fight is too hard or the mountain too tall. I am asking you to throw it in because history is on the line.

Just so you understand why this post is important : Erin is one of the top mommybloggers in the country. She also happens to be "white". What she is saying, along with the 140+ comments on that thread, is something that's going through the heads of a lot of white middle class suburban women just like her.

Erin's network, via BlogHer, is HUGE. If you have been to any of the BlogHer conferences, you know exactly what I mean when I say,

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF MOMMYBLOGGERS.

Why? Most of the women on that thread have blogs and their own audiences. Erin's post is going to be spread like wildfire.