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Hillary Clinton's speech delivered at the Democratic Convention in Denver this evening was a rousing success to the party faithful. She was greeted warmly by a partisan crowd of supporters, and did not disappoint them. Without a doubt, she is a star within the Democratic party that cannot be ignored.

Her performance was everything that a Hillary supporter might have hoped for. She was warm, and engaging. There were no hesitations in her delivery, and she made it clear that she is a dedicated Democrat who supports her party's candidate, Barack Obama.

However, as is usual, there is a caveat that is worth mentioning. While she delivered sufficient "red meat" for her fellow Democrats to chew upon, and did express support for Obama; the speech was mostly about her, and her aspirations for the Democratic party. Yes, she called for unity and support for Obama, but she did not relate any reasons why we should now trust his leadership abilities.

This point may not be evident to some who listened to the speech, but political insiders will undoubtedly talk about this extensively. Hillary did not directly address any of the negative points about the Obama campaign that she used in her attacks while campaigning against him. Is he now ready to lead? She did not say so. Does he now have the needed experience to lead from day one on the job? Again, she did not say so.

The most intriguing point that caught my attention was Senator Joe Biden when the TV cameras panned to shots of him in the audience. I was struck by the comparison between him, and Senator Clinton as potential running-mates of Senator Obama. The love shown, and obvious support for Clinton make it seem impossible that she was not even considered as a number two on the ticket.

Without a doubt, Hillary Clinton would be a real force on the Democratic ticket if she had been selected. I feel sorry for Joe Biden when it is his turn to speak at the convention. He has a hard act to follow. While she was gracious in her presentation, logic has it that the party faithful would follow Hillary to the moon if she asked.

When all is said and done, this speech and it's implications will be history and largely forgotten in the near future. Hillary did her duty, and even stated that Michelle Obama would make a wonderful First Lady. That was a nice thing for her to have said, and a credit to Hillary. Democrats will remember this convention for many things, and Hillary will be a significant part of that memory.

Bill and Hillary Clinton will probably remember this same convention as the one that should have been Hillary's. Eighteen million votes almost made it so. Maybe, next time.

Learn more about this author, Bob Schmidt.
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