HILLARY CLINTON

I want to write about Hillary.

Last week, before the actual Middle East peace talks in Washington, D.C. began, there she was -- and our Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton was perfect.

Yes! She was perfect in look, tone, and manner. She was gracious and comfortable, sitting in the center, between two leaders, She was completely in control, believably sincere, and radiated warmth, as she welcomed two deeply opposing, powerful men.

What a moment -- a confident but relaxed woman, hostessing two men who had not talked with each other for nearly two years -- two stocky, sturdy males with the anchored-to-the-ground demeanor of successful negotiators -- Prime Minister of Israel, Netanyahu, and Palestinian President, Abbas.

I knew they were there to hack out, if possible, a framework for compromise, a way of overcoming the deep disputes between Israel and Palestine and maybe, (please God) just possibly, achieving lasting peace.

As their facilitator-in-chief, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a brief speech -- not boring, not cliche -- an absolutely perfect speech urging them to rise above the suspicion and skepticism that has blocked peace efforts for decades. "By being here today, you each have taken an important step toward freeing your peoples from the shackles of a history we cannot change," she said.

The meeting was the beginning, the first in a series of meetings that Israel and Palestine and the U.S. have committed themselves to having, to see if there is any way a sovereign Palestinian state can exist next to a secure Israel.

The world will be listening and watching.

Hillary reached across the table. The men reached to each other across the table. That's what we saw, and I was thrilled by it.

How does she do it -- continue to grow, to take on the job and re-design herself, enable herself to handle it so well?

You can't NOT think, what would have happened -- where would we be now, if she had won, and become the candidate, and become the President.

Hillary the wife of Bill, the mother of Chelsea, the brilliant idea-person behind the scenes, who supported, loved, succored and worked with and for President William Jefferson Clinton -- stood by him through thick and thin -- that astoundingly shocking series of errors her man made and yet, gave us, shared with us, gifted us with a woman's love for a husband till death do them part.

Hillary the senator, Hillary the candidate, ever-expanding herself, and sharing and gifting us, gifting ME, with who she is and what a woman-person can do.

What a person with the dimensions -- knowledge, sensitivity, tactical mind, powers of observation, ability to absorb and adjust to changing circumstances, changing ideas -- what a Hillary-candidate-person and/or a Barack Obama-candidate-person can do!

I am blessed and privileged by my knowledge of her, and him -- Mr. Obama and Madame Clinton.

I don't know, no one knows if the two opposing foreign countries can come together but they're giving a try.

I don't know if the country and my friends -- and all the people who are vacillating, double-thinking, re-examining their feelings about where our President is taking us -- can regain a centered firm, strong sense of trust, and let the President do the job.

I do know that Hillary Rodham Clinton has given me a larger, clearer vision of who I am and what I can try to achieve and the zest -- thank you, thank you Hillary -- the zest to do my job.