Full disclosure: I have never been a big fan of Hillary Clinton. Many of you have read my rants against some of her campaign tactics. With that history in mind...

She gave a speech today!

It had to be the most difficult speech she has ever made. It had to be the most difficult public act she has ever taken. And she rose above all expectations, even those of her most ardent supporters. Hillary Clinton is not a great public speaker. She is good, and has gotten better over the campaign. But this speech exceeded any she has ever made, but a very large margin. It was, in many ways, classic Hillary, but the speech she made, in terms of both the writing and the delivery, lifted her to a new level.

There are some questions about why Barack Obama was not there; I believe he wasn't there because this was her day, her speech, her moment in the sun. And I believe she shone.

For those of us who believe we absolutely need a Democratic victory this fall, today is a very good day.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president:

Acting on behalf of its more than 1.4 million members, the AFT executive council on Wednesday endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president, citing her proven ability to advance our nation's key priorities, and her bold plans for a stronger America.

"Our members have told us that they want a leader they can trust to strengthen public education, increase access to health care, promote commonsense economic priorities and secure America's place in the world," said AFT president Edward J. McElroy. "Hillary Clinton is that leader."

Chris Bowers at Open Left calls it, "the biggest endorsement of the campaign for me so far." Here's a longer quote:

...so here's a video the campaign of one Mitt Romney, who seems to be running for the Presidency square jaw and all, would rather you not see.

It's Larry Craig. him of the mens' room episodes and the concurrent votes against LGBTQ equality, holding forth on Mitt's family values.

The newest polling numbers from Rasmussen are pretty bad for a certain Democratic frontrunner.

After being virtually tied with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for several months, Republican contender Rudy Giuliani now leads Clinton up 47% to 40% in the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Clinton, a sitting Senator, edges out Fred Thompson, an actor, 46% to 43%, within the poll's margin of error.

The real whammy is her approval/disapproval gap. 45% of Americans like Hillary Clinton. 52% do not.

How badly do Democrats want to lose the White House in 2008?