The Difference

A reader writes:

I have been fairly resistant to the idea of an Obama candidacy for multiple reasons and one of which was your vitriol towards Senator Clinton. You are usually rational and so I thought you just had a bad case of Clinton Derangement Syndrome and would come to your senses once she got the nomination.  Each time you tore down Clinton, it just made me want to vote for her even more.

Then I went to hear them both in Richmond last night. It was unbelievable. The crowd was chanting for him throughout the night (including right before and shortly after Clinton's speech) and even though he showed up late, about 2 hours after Clinton, the crowd went nuts.  Where Clinton was uninspiring and the response more polite than fervent, Obama was presidential and his charisma filled the room. I started out the evening wearing a Hillary sticker and by the end I had thrown it away.

So as much as I hate to say it Andrew, I am now an Obama supporter. But please, try to be a little kinder to Clinton.  Senator Obama was kind when speaking about McCain last night and it showed class. Try to learn something from that.

Well, I'm not running. So I don't have to be nice all the time. And my dismay at the Clintons is long-standing. It's reality-based. And I don't think this campaign has revealed it as irrational, however spirited I've been at times.

2006-2011 archives for The Daily Dish, featuring Andrew Sullivan