Why are we so surprised

that Hilary Clinton has a heart?

She answered a question,

at the end of a juggernaut of campaigning

with a simple unplanned moment of truth

It was a real moment, tears or not,

and it seemed to cut through the bullshit

Clinton gave voice to an emotion

not related to self that is felt,

however buried, by many Americans

In the midst of her comments she said,

"I see what's happening. We have to reverse it"

There was a catch in her throat, her voice wavered

and she spoke with an almost mournful quality

There, just for that briefest of moments,

were the tears of sadness, regret and vulnerability

that lie beneath the surface when we speak of

the Bush years in a more dispassionate manner

Jamie Lee Curtis [Original]

Why are we so surprised that Hilary Clinton has a heart? She answered a question, at the end of a juggernaut of campaigning with a simple unplanned moment of truth.

Her sincere love for her country, of the true sacrifice a public servant makes and the one overlooked and biggest reason one would want to hear from a candidate, that they care, that they are grateful for the life they have been given by others who served before them.

It was a real moment, tears or not, and it seemed to cut through the bullshit that accompanies most answers on the campaign trail.

Michael Moore's analysis of her vote for the war was that as a woman she has to "be as 'tough' as a man, she has to be willing to push The Button if necessary, and give the generals whatever they wanted."

Why is a woman's natural emotionality, as well as incredible sense and judgment and compassion and strength, a liability. None of you would be here were it not for a woman's strength -- you men try giving birth, something Mrs. Clinton has done.

Most of all, don't we really want a president with a heart, a big, open, warm, loving, mother's heart to lead us out of this bleak despair, into the light of hope and peace.

Please don't just classify her tears as a hoax or a "woman's moment". Classify it as a human contact made in a time of great need.

I for one am proud of her commitment to service and duty and honor and yes, tears, for we have so much to be sad about and so much to hope for in the future.

Hillary Emoted for All of Us [Original]

Every pundit has missed half of the Hillary crying story. For five days I have watched, listened and read as every pundit this side of Simon Cowell has offered their analysis on Senator Clinton's "breakdown" this past Sunday in New Hampshire. Where's the rest of her?

Yes, she was exhausted, probably felt picked on, and as a result, revealed her softer, more human, more likable side.

But she also gave voice to an emotion not related to self that is felt, however buried, by many Americans. In the midst of her comments she said, "I see what's happening. We have to reverse it."

There was a catch in her throat, her voice wavered and she spoke with an almost mournful quality.

There, just for that briefest of moments, were the tears of sadness, regret and vulnerability that lie beneath the surface when we speak of the Bush years in a more dispassionate manner.

To have this shock of recognition supplied by a candidate running to succeed Bush was, ironically, it's own shock. And, quite a welcome one. Mostly, increasingly, "change" is on the agenda.

But for all the desire we have for a better future -- in fact, precisely because we yearn for that future -- it is not advisable for us to turn the page on the past just yet.

And while there is huge value in inspiring words that move us about possibilities and hope, there is also value in words that move us in recognizing damage.

This is especially necessary post-Bush, a man whose greatest accomplishment has been to conduct a presidency so horrific that one's natural response is to dissociate.

It started with Florida in 2000 when the concept of stealing an election was so without precedent, so brazen, and confronting it so unlikely to offer closure, let alone success, that even those who were horrified quickly turned the page.

From there the crimes went on. "Scandal fatigue," -- a grossly inadequate term -- set in.

Even when this president departs the White House for his faux ranch in Midland, the Constitution will still be gutted and the soldiers will still be dying.

Along with hope, sadness will be a necessary part of what brings change. And the candidate who truly feels that sadness will be most likely to bring it.