Congratulations.
You did it. You came from out of nowhere to build a tremendous coalition of all colors, all ages, all religions.
And you won.
I'll admit it -- I'm a little sad today. That dream I've had for the past eight months, the dream of finally, finally hearing those glorious words -- Madame President -- is dead.
I knew this was coming. I acknowledged, two months ago, that Obama would be the nominee. I have said, since then, that I will vote for him. I have condemned those Clinton "supporters" who say they will support McCain. They do not represent me; they do not represent their candidate. Clinton has made it clear that she will work to elect a Democrat to the White House in November. Anyone who claims to be a Clinton supporter must follow her lead and do the same.
It's hard, though. It's hard to accept that the dream is dead. It's hard to know this is another lost battle in a seemingly endless war to achieve true gender equality. We're not there yet; we're far from it. We have so much work to do. Women comprise only 16% of Congress. We have a long, long way to go.
But today is about something else.
It's about a different dream. An important dream. The dream of Frederick Douglass; the dream of Harriet Tubman; the dream of Martin Luther King; and yes, the dream of a boy named Barack Obama.
Today, we are one step closer to realizing those dreams. And for that, I am proud. Very, very proud.
We still have a long fight ahead. Miles to go. There is work to be done within our own party. This primary season has demonstrated the demons we have, even within the Democratic Party.
And we have not won the White House yet. We know the Republicans will not hand it over without a fight.
But we are one battle closer today.
There are some who are still frustrated and angry. They insist upon laying blame and calling names. Today, more than any other day, we should ignore them. They are not part of the solution.
Congratulations, Senator Obama. Congratulations to his supporters.
And congratulations, America.
Update: Thanks for putting me on the Rec list and for such a warm response. You make me proud.