Let's face it, somewhere deep down inside, even Michelle Obama believes that in a more perfect world she would be the Obama running for President.
Come'on. We've all read Michelle's comments about Barack: He doesn't pick up his dirty laundry; can't make a bed better than a five-year old, while he's off playing rock star she is left raising their children and running the household remarking that she didn't sign up to be a single-parent; noting that she is married to the "man" Barack certainly not the phenomenon. In short, Michelle's relegated to the grunt work while Barack gets the fun work.
We've all witnessed Michelle's facial expressions when she observes Barack. Eyes rolling. And we've all heard Michelle speak about Barack when she delivers one of her un-edited backhanded comments about him. It's like she can't help herself. She knows she is better. Heck, even standing next to Barack, Michelle makes a more commanding presence by appearing stronger, more engaged, and more aware. In Team Obama, Barack's the cheerleader, while Michelle's the quarterback.
Michelle knows the same simple truth that all women know: when it comes to getting work done and cleaning up messes, women are better than men.
This is part of the reason of why Hillary Clinton is the better candidate in '08. Aside from the fact that she has more experience; she is a woman. It's time we recognize what a strength that is in a Commander in Chief.
Hillary is smarter, more capable, a harder worker, better multi-tasker, and most importantly, tougher than Barack.
Let's employ the "foxhole rule." Imagine yourself in the heat of war. Bombs dropping everywhere. You're dug in. You've got limited ammo. All hell is breaking loose. Who would you rather have getting your back? Barack or Hillary?
Hands down, I would personally choose Hillary because she would fight to the death. She would get the job done. She is one tough, smart cookie. In essence it's the difference between "can" and "will."
Sure, we all can do anything -- this is after all America. But what "will" we do -- that's what matters most. (Barack's "Yes We Can" mantra annoys me because it's too passive. I don't want to know what you can do. I want to know what you will do, dammit!)
Hillary is a will-do person not a can-do person.
Back to the foxhole. Can anybody realistically picture Barack fighting to the death? Taking it to the mats? Nope. He'd be the guy holed up in the corner reading his own prose hoping and pontificating about how in a more perfect world it should all end. Problem is that it's not a perfect world.
Queue Obama supporters saying: Barack wouldn't be in the foxhole to begin with; he voted against the war. Answer: reality check folks, like it or not, WE ARE IN THE FOXHOLE. In fact, we are doubly "foxholed" right now: First, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and second, our sinking, dismal economy.
The point? We need the best Commander in Chief to get us out of the foxhole -- not merely complain that we shouldn't be in the foxhole.
I imagine Obama supporters complaining that this sort of tough mentality is too akin to the war-mongering and posturing of George Bush and/or John McCain. My answer? Simple. Women, and more to the point, mothers do not want unnecessary, wanton, or reckless wars. Period. In other words, moms are tough, but we aren't looking for a fight. Imagine that mentality in a president.
To me the descent of Hillary Clinton's campaign has meant that we might never know the real truth behind statements like George Bush's "it's hard work to be the president." And that's a shame. I hope all the women out there reading this who've ever run up against the "male-work-ethic" identify with what I am talking about here.
But our country is a mess. It's going to require a lot of unglamorous, grunt work and perhaps a bit of a bad rap to clean it all up. To me, it sounds like a job for a woman because if there were ever a house that needed cleaning up, it would be our current WH.
As the saying goes: a woman's work is never done. Indeed women are the ones who tirelessly and (and perhaps truly miraculously) clean up the messes, unplug the toilets, nurture the children, and make sure everyone is as happy as can be at day's end. Michelle Obama gets that. I get that. You get that. And perhaps more than any of us, Hillary Clinton gets that.
That's why it isn't that difficult or even ironic to go back to the paragraphs above and see that Hillary and Michelle's names are interchangeable. In many ways, they are one and the same. They are smart, realistic, hard-working, problem-solving, and tough-minded women. They aren't too precious to do the grunt work. They aren't relegated to rhetoric. They are tough in the trenches. They are women. They are moms. They are us. And so why not?
Every woman has some degree of experience with men -- their husbands, boyfriends, fathers, brothers, colleagues, etc. And collectively we all know the truth: women are better. We are better at getting work done. We are better at cleaning up messes. We are tougher and more tireless. We are smart and strategic. And that is why we should all be supporting Hillary because, (sorry boys) now more than ever this one should be for the girls.