The stakes could not be higher. The treacherous reign of Bush-Cheney has seriously weakened our democracy. To the "war on terror" we have been asked to sacrifice fundamental human rights and civil liberties. Meanwhile, a newly conservative Supreme Court majority ruthlessly guts longstanding state obligations to protect equal rights and expand opportunity. Abroad, the good will America briefly enjoyed after 9/11 has been squandered by Bush's cowboy diplomacy.
Democrats must win in 2008. We must take back the White House with a candidate who adheres to core progressive principles but is also able to build coalitions and sustain majorities across ideological and partisan divides--first to win and then to govern successfully.
Hillary Clinton is that candidate. She is intelligent, energetic and disciplined. She has shown herself to be warm and likable. She has turned an interminable campaign into an asset through effective campaigning and six stellar debate performances. She stumbled momentarily in the seventh round under withering personal attack by six angry men. Next time out, she will definitely need those flashy boxing gloves her AFSCME endorsers provided afterward.
But she will prevail, just as she did in her Senate races, the second of which she won with an astonishing 67 percent of the vote, taking thirty-seven of the forty-one "red" counties in New York that George W. Bush carried two years earlier. Indeed, she may be the most electable of the Democrats--and not because she "stands for nothing," as the chattering classes often allege. Rather, Clinton wonkishly acknowledges the complexity of issues and modestly admits to not having all the answers. She has learned to respect people with whom she disagrees and to succeed within a system that requires compromise. She works hard and exudes competence and integrity. Ordinary voters, and especially independent women whose swing votes will determine the outcome of this election, find this a relief. They are tired of overweening ego and bluster in politics. These women, along with disenchanted Republicans and many others who have never voted before but are registering in large numbers this time, will provide the margin of her victory.
More at the link including links to other candidate "endorsements"
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071126/chesler