Go Hillary.

It seems as though Obama supporters and journalists alike are reluctant to give Hillary any praise these days, but this FOO (fan of Obama, not to be confused with foo- slang for fool) feels that her concession speech was fabulous on Saturday. Though her endorsement of Obama was clearly mechanical and forced, her tone and word choice felt more genuine than most of that which she said publicly in the last few months. After a long fought battle in which she truly convinced herself that Obama was 'the opponent' and surrounded by sycophantic enablers, she is no where near believing that he is the strongest candidate. And to be honest, if I were her, I would not believe it either. Yet, as I've been thinking quite a bit lately during my reprisal of living at home, time heals all wounds. And in politics, a few weeks is an eternity. I have no doubt that by the convention in August, the party will be unified; by November, barring a major catastrophe/scandal, we will be a force at the polls.

I feel that the issue surrounding the actual endorsement part of HRC's endorsement is not the Senator's real triumph from the weekend; it's simply the network's attempt at juicing out the last morsel of drama between the two candidates. She spoke to the millions of women who remember the struggles of the feminist movement and the struggle faced by each woman who attempted to chip away at the virtually inpenatratable glass ceiling in their careers, homes and communities. But this time she also spoke to those of us who are, gratefully, the beneficiaries of such struggles.

Like most women in this nation, I have been subject to inappropriate assumptions, as well as, violating comments, looks and grabs from men. Ignorance and sexism are still pervasive in our nation, and we still have a far way to go before de facto gender discrimination is eliminated. I have spent some time over the past few months, trying to consider feminism through the lens of a feminist of the generation birthed and bred during the civil rights movement; a generation for whom a female in the oval office was the golden ring at the end of a frustrating and circular carousel ride. But feminism to me, as a product of my times, is not simply a women's issue- and a woman doesn't need to be in charge to ensure that feminist needs are prioritized. I was put off by the insinuation by the Clinton campaign that a vote for Obama was a vote against feminism and women in general. One need only view the life of his mother, Michelle and the women whose opinions he values to know that he is, in fact, quite a feminist himself. Feminism has evolved beyond a (mind the pun) black/white issue and to reduce it to such standards denies the complex lens through which we must view women's issues in America.

HRC's speech on Sunday, however, stepped beyond the simple message of, "women should support her because she is a woman." and into "women should support any person that represents her values, passions, and issues." The need for a feminist awareness extends further than the gender of political candidates; feminist issues are not going away simply because the female has stepped down. I, in fact, question the HRC loyals who 'can't bring themselves to support Obama.' Any woman who votes for McCain is voting for a conservative anti-choice Justice on the Supreme Court.