Valediction?

If you watched the Clinton-Obama debate last night, you saw Hillary Clinton's graceful and gracious closing. If not, it's here, at the 7:oo mark. There's a great deal of debate and spin as to whether or not she in effect conceded the battle last night. I heard it as a message to her supporters and to all Democrats that her opponent has been a worthy adversary behind whom she will close ranks should it come to that.

Joyce Marcel explains here why she supports Obama despite the sexist muck that Clinton has always had to wade through. Even so, Marcel points out that Clinton has been her own worst enemy in critical ways, starting with her decision to staff her campaign with long-time party power brokers. Marcel draws an interesting parallel between Obama's success and Howard Dean's 50-state strategy. 

She also mentions a recent screed by Robin Morgan, whose 1970 "Goodbye To All That" is one of the seminal documents of modern feminism. Morgan revisited the same themes in a January 2008 sequel. Sadly, "Goodbye to All That (#2)" is a bitter yowl that ignores Clinton's limitations and that in effect tells an African-American man that he should wait his turn. Morgan makes Clinton out as a powerful woman who is nonetheless entrapped by the vicious coils of sexism. She makes some fair points, but it's impossible to imagine Clinton seeing herself as a victim to the degree that Morgan does. After all, Clinton is a United States Senator with vast support and a powerful organization.

BTW, the actual first Good-bye To All That was Robert Graves' classic memoir of his very British upbringing and service in the savagery of  World War I trench warfare. The book has an interesting history, here. 

Coach Gibbons day! Three sets of--

200-meter run

21 thrusters (45-lb bar)

21 sit ups