Last Wednesday, I journeyed across the river to see Senator Hillary Clinton in North Little Rock. She was engaging and thoughtful. Last Thursday, I availed myself of early voting and proudly cast my ballot for Hillary. Almost from the moment Sen. Clinton declared last January that she was "in to win," I was with her. In this post, I attempt to explain why.

For sixteen years, Hillary Clinton has existed for the lazy and ill-informed as a media-created caricature. She has been advertised as a liberal Cruella, an American Marie-Antoinette, an opportunist, a DLC hack, and perpetual bete-noire of right wing exponents. Whatever you hated, Hillary represented. But a decent number of us were voices in the dark- we knew the truth. Clinton is a bright and capable person- more Methodist mom than bra-burning ball-buster, more work horse than show horse- dedicated to principles that she has held for her entire adult life.

When Clinton talks, I listen. I believe her. I think that she means it when she promises universal health care, and a responsible end to the war in Iraq. She is serious about getting to work "on day one" to take on the oil companies and craft a real energy policy. And so on, and so forth.

The policy implications are clear, and they are important. Other disagree, but I see this election as a stark choice. My perception is that in our two candidates we have a person of substance and adult seriousness pitted against a candidate of taglines interspersed with new age catch phrases, and very little policy substance. This is, to me, not a hard choice to make.

I was born in Little Rock two months after Hillary became the first lady of Arkansas. She was, I believe, thirty-two. She was, at that time, two years past a presidential appointment to be a member of the Legal Services Corporation. She worked as first lady of this state to improve public schools. She toiled to make health care available to poor children. Hillary did all of this work while raising her daughter and excelling in her career.

When she was First Lady of the United States, Hillary worked to bring health care to all Americans. She failed then- falling victim to a co-ordinated right-wing attack strategy, including the Harry and Louise ads later parroted by Sen. Obama. Though the "Hillarycare" loss in 1993 was disheartening, she continued to work, and learn. She won't fail again, if given the chance to try.

After winning her improbable Senate campaign in New York, she went to work. She surprised even Republicans by her command of issues, her ability to work with anyone of any party, and her skill as a legislator. She knows how to govern.

I rehash Clinton's well-known resume to make the following point: too often, Hillary has let her opponents and their supporters get by with marginalizing her experience to being only First Lady. She is an accomplished and experienced person, who more than her opponent, is truly ready for this job. It is true that we got to know Hillary because of her talented but deeply-flawed husband. To me, this fame-by-attachment isn't an argument against Hillary's candidacy, but is rather a great stroke of luck for our country.

This is my third Presidential election. I voted for Gore and Kerry and hope to have the opportunity to vote for Hillary in November. I don't fit the neat demograpic of a Hillary supporter- I am 28, white, male, and Southern. But I'm here anyway. For me, a vote for President is an intellectual choice, but also an emotional decision. It has to feel right- and to me, this is right.

Happy Super Tuesday.