Dear President Clinton:
You came to Roanoke, Virginia this evening and gave a rousing speech. My wife and I stood in an audience that listened, clapped, and roared its approval. Many had been standing for 2 hours or more--elderly, mothers with children, and many others with just plain sore feet. You were on time--people just came early. No one complained or fussed. We all just wanted to see and hear you. A man stood in front of me with a tee-shirt--"We miss you Bill." It spoke for everyone there.
You did not disappoint. Just seeing the last Democratic President would have been enough for all of us. Also seeing the last President that cared about the middle class, created jobs, balanced the budget, brought peace to Kosovo, and continued the greatest traditions of American international generosity and moral leadership--that would have been more than enough. But you did so much more. As you did during your administration, you reminded us of our betters selves, of how our own decency,energy, and ingenuity will be the force for the future and pull us from the "ditch"--a perfect word you chose--the Republicans will leave us in.
You did all of this wonderfully, but it was not unexpected. You have done this so many times in the past . Your mastery of complex issues, your revealing and heartfelt stories, and your call to future. These have always been your hallmarks. I wasn't disappointed, nor were any of the people in that audience.
However, what moved me tonight was your utter decency and graciousness. Barack Obama and the Democratic Party are so fortunate to have you and Senator Clinton as allies in the war to reclaim our country. You both fought hard in the primary against Senator Obama. It seemed to get ugly at times. Many cried and gnashed their teeth that the fight was tearing the party irreparably apart; the battle would lose us the election. I admit; I thought so myself.
Listening to you tonight, I now understand what you and Senator Clinton must have known all along: the battle made us stronger, not weaker. No one who heard you tonight, or heard you in Scranton today, or heard you and Senator Clinton at the convention, or in all of the towns and gatherings you both have visited since June 3, can doubt that you and Senator Clinton were fighting to make the party stronger. I now understand how from the day to day grit and spit of the primaries, you and Senator Clinton moved to the eloquent and impassioned support you have both given to Senator Obama: you deeply believe that you are both part of a struggle larger than your individual ambitions. Clouded by my own passions of the moment, I didn't see it before. You speech tonight made me see it now. I thank you for that.
And now the apology. In the trumped up scandals that plagued the later years of your administration, I will admit that I lost faith in you. I would think, "Forget who is right and wrong; he should leave office for the good of the party and the country." When you did not, I bought into the cynicism of the moment and attributed to you the basest of motives. I am sorry I did so. I now realize you and Hillary fought then for the same reason that you fought Senator Obama in the Democratic primaries, and that you are fighting now for his election and the election of a Democratic Congress: to have given up would have left the Democratic Party weaker, the Republic Party stronger, and the country subject to the unchecked forces of hate and greed that we have witnessed over the past eight years.
I have always enjoyed politics. Tonight, listening to you, you reminded me of why this election is important. We have crucial issues at stake: income disparity, international standing, health care, energy. But more importantly, you reminded me of why the fight is important, and how we should never give up even in the face of momentary defeats.
Once again, thank you.