Where were you when...

Hillary Clinton is a selfish power-hungry egotist who has sullied a century of suffragist progress.

I remember where I was when the Berlin Wall came down; sitting in my college dorm room, perched on the edge of my seat, thrilled, exasperated, aware that I was witnessing history.

I remember where I was when the Challenger exploded. I watched it happen. Not repeats of the footage on breaking news, but seeing it first-hand. CNN was on in the background as I was sweeping the floors on a day off. Something made me stop and watch the launch. Within minutes, I was aware I was witnessing history.

As I stood in my kitchen tonight, washing dishes, I again witnessed history. A nation founded by slave-holding white men decided that an African-American should be one of two nominees for President of the United States. That interruption to announce that Barack Obama had won enough delegates to be the nominee of the Democratic Party came like an unexpected shiver of goose-flesh on a hot summer day; exciting and breath-taking. And in that involuntary gasp, I sucked in the knowledge that I was seeing one of the single greatest moments in American history.

The first ten minutes of Senator Obama's speech, after the ramblings of Senator McCain and the self-congratulatory remarks of Senator Clinton, were spent on acknowledging the historical significance of Hillary's campaign. Her achievement, in spite of the political glass ceiling that women in office have faced, is in and of itself a special moment in American history. Although we have a female Speaker of the House, we have never seen a woman rise so far in our political history. Senator Obama praised all of Hillary Clinton's achievements, aspirations, and value in future social change. His speech went on to speak of the promise of the future, in positive terms. It was steeped in the language of inclusion. Goose-flesh, once again.

In stark contrast was the non-concession speech of Senator Clinton. Lacking the magnanimity of John McCain, who acknowledged and praised Senator Obama's achievement, Hillary spent twenty minutes praising Hillary. Hers was a speech that pointedly ignored the historical significance of Obama's ascension to the pinnacle of leadership. Hers was a speech that failed the progress of women in politics by focusing only on herself instead of the milestones the nation has witnessed. As a pre-eminent leader she had every opportunity and every right to blatantly point out her rise as a lesson and hope for women everywhere. As the wife of a President who touted himself as the best friend of the African-American community, she had every right and, indeed, should be expected to praise Senator Obama as a role-model for minorities. Instead of slapping Obama on the back, she spent twenty minutes patting her own.

What should have been a night of unity became a showcase for Hillary Clinton's ego, hubris, and selfishness. A closet Republican, perhaps? She certainly spoke like one.

America is built on the achievements of history. As an American leader, as one claiming to be the voice and choice of the nation and the people, she failed in recognizing an historical benchmark. Failing to recognize the progress of America is ignoring America altogether.

And that is why she is not a leader, and will not be our President. Power for power's sake is not a platform to greatness, but to the footnotes of history.

Tonight was an opportunity to witness two great moments in history: recognition of the advancement of minorities and the advancement of women. Instead, we witnessed two political dichotomies: grace and greed.

Nevertheless, I will remember the moment that Barack Obama won the nomination as one of the singular greatest moments in American history. And I will also remember where I was when I realized the definition of true greatness.