I am a Hillary supporter, more right now than I have ever been.  Three accomplished children of the late Robert Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy have put their endorsement of Hillary into words that speak for themselves.

The Endorsement

This is a wonderful year for Democrats. Our party is blessed with the most impressive array of primary candidates in modern history. All would make superb presidents.

By now you may have read or heard that our cousin, Caroline Kennedy, and our uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, have come out in favor of Sen. Barack Obama. We, however, are supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton because we believe that she is the strongest candidate for our party and our country.

While talk of unity and compromise are inspiring to a nation wary of divisiveness, America stands at a historic crossroads where real issues divide our political landscapes. Democrats believe that America should not be torturing people, eavesdropping on our citizens or imprisoning them without habeas corpus or other constitutional rights. We should not be an imperial power. We need healthcare for all and a clean, safe environment.

The loftiest poetry will not solve these issues. We need a president willing to engage in a fistfight to safeguard and restore our national virtues.

Please continue after the fold ...

Today's Rasmussen poll shows that Hillary continues to lead and has gained another point since the poll taken yesterday.  

It is the favorable vs unfavorable ratings for both Hillary and Obama that I find the most interesting.  Obama has surprisingly higher unfavorables among  Democrats than Hillary does.   And his unfavorable rating among all voters is increasing as well.

These are Obama's weakest ratings for 2007, so far.

Now that the Elizabeth Edwards' interview with Salon Magazine has hit the mainstream media, I am publishing this diary and hoping Elizabeth herself comes by to read it.  I have also submitted the information in this diary to several newspapers and television stations.  

"...Look, I'm sympathetic, because when I worked as a lawyer, I was the only woman in these rooms, too, and you want to reassure them you're as good as a man. And sometimes you feel you have to behave as a man and not talk about women's issues. ..." (Elizabeth Edwards)

The quote above is taken directly from Elizabeth Edwards's interview with Salon Magazine. I wish to inform Elizabeth Edwards that while I am a man, I am surrounded by well-informed women, including my wife, daughters, sisters, nieces, an aunt and many friends -- and Elizabeth Edwards does not speak for any of them.  We have done our research and support Hillary for many reasons, including all the work she has done for women, all over the country and all over the world.

Also, Hillary has always been very open and very vocal about women and the issues that affect them, so Mrs. Edwards' implication that Hillary has been afraid to discuss women's issues is a blatant lie.

The first Rasmussen Reports poll of the New Hampshire Presidential Primary finds New York Senator Hillary Clinton comfortably on top with a 17-percentage point lead over her nearest competitor. Clinton attracts 38% of the vote while Illinois Senator Barack Obama is a distant second at 21%.

The telephone survey of 428 Likely Voters found former North Carolina Senator John Edwards in third place with 10% of the vote. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is close on his heels at 9%. Delaware Senator Joe Biden earns 3% support. Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich each attract 2% support while former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel is favored by less than half a percent of likely voters.

LINK

POLL: CBS News on Bush, Congress, Iraq & Campaign 2008

With the choice between Hillary, Barack Obama or John Edwards, and with only 9% undecided and 8% preferring someone besides these three, Hillary leads by a whopping 24% over Obama and 37% over John Edwards.  

Among 336 Democratic primary voters, when presented a three-way choice 48% prefer Hillary Clinton, 24% Barack Obama, 11% John Edwards, 8% would rather see someone else nominated and the rest (9%) are completely undecided or unsure

Among 212 Republican primary voters, when presented a four-way choice 34% prefer Rudy Giuliani, 22% Fred Thompson, 21% John McCain, 6% Mitt Romney, 7% would rather see someone else nominated and the rest (10%) are say they are completely undecided or unsure.

Quinton's question:
"Why you would say she ought be our nominee. You and every other hillary supporter on here wouldn't be able to play the "she's in the lead! she's so strong in the primary!" You'd actually have to talk about why she should be the democratic nominee. And you know what? I'm honestly not at all sure that you'd really have all that much to say."

My first response begins with the letter "K":
This is my first diary on mydd.com, although I have made many comments in the diaries of others.  Quinton, a regular on mydd.com, asked the above question.  As a Hillary supporter, I have many reasons for supporting her.   To keep the diary narrative from being too long, I would like to point to just one of those reasons, ie: the horrendous hurricane that swept through the Gulf Coast in the fall of 2005 and caused unfathomable damage.  To this day, the victims who survived that hurricane are still not receiving the assistance they were promised by President Bush.  Hillary spoke out against this
immediately  following the hurricane and has been the most outspoken about it.   She has proven to me and my family that taking care of the Gulf Coast and all the victims of Hurricane Katrina will be one of her top priorities.  Read more.