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YES: Let's put all partisan politics aside. At least give it a try. OK? Suppose Bill Clinton had not ever been President. Would both Bill and Hillary have stayed in Little Rock obscurity as attorneys or otherwise disappeared from the public eye permanently?

Not likely for Bill, who had won, lost and won again the governorship of Arkansas. A highly-intelligent Rhodes Scholar, shrewd politician and tough campaigner, he had fought his way to become the surprise winner the Democratic nomination in 1992, then went on to beat the incumbent George Bush Sr. in a failed bid for a second term. It is a well-known fact that Bill won because Ross Perot, a billionaire Republican turned Independent, received 19 percent of votes. Most of them certainly would have gone to Bush Sr. Hillary is acutely aware that elections are won and lost on such turns of fate, as well as public opinion and sentimentality.

It follows that if Bush had been reelected for his second term, Bill Clinton would have probably emerged again as the Democratic nominee in 1996. If Bill had won then, it is certainly possible that Hillary, as the politically influential First Lady, could have gained the huge popularity and political influence she has today.

Of course, there's the big question, like the 900-pound gorilla in the corner that everyone chooses to ignore. It depends on your political point of view and some deeper emotions. Part of the original equation about Hillary's current enormous popularity ... and don't start screaming until I pose the question ... if Bill hadn't been involved in the sex scandal and impeachment hearings for lying under oath, would Hillary be so popular today for that alone?

The women's vote, which may be several points above 50 percent in 2008, will be critical in the Presidential election. If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, and the first woman in US history to run on a major party platform for President, how many women will vote for her solely because Hillary is a woman? Further and more deeply emotional, how many will vote for her in sympathy just because Hillary's husband broke his marriage vows?

Those considerations take nothing away from Hillary's personal qualifications. Bill certainly received enormous help from her astute political skills throughout his career, including and especially during their White House years. Hillary is a brilliant attorney, a tireless campaigner and has served with distinction as Senator from New York.

Considering her many attributes when comparing them with some Presidents in past US history ... make that very recent history ... she is certainly better qualified than they were to lead the Nation. Many people have been saying for years that it is time for the US to have a woman President. Because of the growing problems at home and abroad, the Nation certainly needs vital, new leadership, and it could very well be Hillary Clinton.

Although these issues are only a few among the many political, social, economic and international considerations that go into the election, the fact is that Hillary is highly qualified to do the job as President. However, being the first woman to try for the job, and her very well-known problems with Bill, will have major effects on the outcome in November 2008.

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
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