Barring a miracle of Biblical proportion, the end to Senator Clinton's historic run for the Democratic presidential nomination may be less than a week away.  Would that in the final days of her campaign she forgets Senator Obama, the peevish press, the vagaries of the voters and speaks from her heart with the class and intelligence for which she is known in public and the humor for which she is known in private.

Hillary, begin by releasing your super delegates and calling for new primary votes in Michigan and Florida; then dispense with the idea that you would be Senator Obama's VP.  You can be of much more service to the party shepherding legislation through the Senate than pitching in the bull pen.  The Vice Presidency should be a warm up for the Presidency and, Lord knows, if the ageists are having trouble with the thought of a 72 year old man as President, there will be no room in their hearts for a 69 year old woman eight years from now.

Clear your mind of Barack Obama; if his campaign had to pay by the word it would have been out of money months ago.  Focus on the core idea which has been in your heart since the first days in the White House in 1992: universal health care.  Put it front and center, for a few days take the debate back from those who would characterize it as socialized medicine.  Speak in concrete terms of the cost in dollars and cents incurred by every American when a large number of our citizens are uninsured.  Talk about the lost productivity, talk about the lost innovation, talk about the shame of a country where some people have concierge medical care and some children have no medical care.

This election isn't about your ankles, your pant suits, your daughter's loyal championing of her mother, reporters gutter comments about your daughter's loyal championing of her mother, your husband's jabbing pointer finger; it's not about a dove coming down from the sky and landing on a man's shoulder.  It is about - it should be about - the American people and reclaiming America's destiny from perhaps the most misguided, misinformed administration in the history of the United States.  It is about - it should be about - healing the greatest divide in our country: the economic divide.  It is no doubt difficult to be African American in this country.  It is no doubt difficult to be a woman in this country.  It is no doubt difficult to be old in this country.  But black/white, man/woman, old/young, there is no prejudice that is not made worse by poverty.

Hillary, you will not - to my great dismay and the country's loss - make history this year by being the first female nominee of a major United States political party.  You will, however, make history for the next twenty years, let that history begin today.