In the closing hours before the March 4th elections, I wanted to share an amazing phone call with you. It comes on the heels of a new tracking poll showing Hillary doing better than Sen. Obama against John McCain -- as well as public polls that show Hillary stronger against Sen. McCain in crucial swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
As Hillary has said, all Democrats (and all Americans) should be proud of the historic campaign Democrats have run this cycle and of our great candidates. But no matter who we support, as Dems we can all agree that winning in November and taking back the White House is our imperative. And one thing is increasingly obvious: winning means defeating John McCain -- the likely Republican nominee.
The Democrat who eventually faces Sen. McCain will require a set of skills and experiences that enables them to:
a) compete on a broad playing field;
b) confront and beat back a GOP attack machine waiting to tear them down;
c) put forth and defend core Democratic ideas - and ideals - such as universal health care;
d) build a solid coalition for victory;
e) and importantly, stand toe-to-toe with Sen. McCain on national security.
Hillary excels on each of these fronts. [On the last point, my blogosphere friends know that I spent most of 2004 in the Kerry-Edwards war room and gained some perspective on how national security -- an issue Democrats cannot and will not cede -- takes center stage in a general election.]
Now before you listen to the audio of the call, I want to add a personal note about Hillary: I joined her team in 2006 and I've come to know a person who is brilliant, thoughtful, disciplined, possesses tremendous inner fortitude and courage, and who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to core Democratic values. In short, someone who is the most qualified person running to be president. Someone I am extremely proud to work for. And someone I trust to make this world a better and safer place for the child my wife and I are expecting.
Now, to the call. Listen to it. It is a series of powerful testimonials from eighteen former admirals, generals, and senior defense officials who support Hillary. They are among nearly 30 general and flag officers who have endorsed Hillary.
Whether or not Hillary is your candidate of choice, consider for a moment what these distinguished men and women are saying and why they are saying it. They are aware of the choices, decisions, votes and experience that Hillary brings to the table. And they have come to the same conclusion, a conclusion reached by millions of voters: that Hillary is the Democrat ready to take back the White House and clean up the mess that George W. Bush has left behind.
P.S. Click here for a few individual transcripts from the call.