The Denver Rally was incredible yesterday, though I understand it was also bittersweet with so many who were not able to attend. Who knew there would be such an incredible turnout? And then there were so many who wanted to come but turned away or never drove out in the first place because of prior commitments, jobs, or the travel distance.

After the incredible talks--both at the rally and at the precinct captain strategy meeting afterwards, my friends and I sat around talking about our experience and feelings. We were all so "fired up" after hearing Barack's message of hope, change, and unity. My boyfriend and I mentioned we might attend Bill Clinton's rally later that evening, just to check him out and compare. We're committed Obama supporters, but also committed Democrats that feel we are responsible to listen to both candidates. We were also just curious what it would be like in contrast to the Obama rally.

"Besides," my partner said, "Bill Clinton is one of my personal heroes."

Our friend shook his head. "You know, he's one of mine too," he said, "But I wouldn't want to hear him speak right now, not at this time, not in this context."

I thought this was a fascinating comment that shed an interesting light on the "Billary" Campaign. No bones about it, if we elected Hillary, we'd be electing Bill back into office as well. But what does that mean about our progress as a nation? What does that say about the kind of America we're trying to create?

I read a few excerpts from Clinton's speech last night, and this one struck me deeply:

"If you vote for HIllary, she will send the world a very different message about America," Clinton said. "She will say, 'We're back'."

I find this--a comment that literally made me shudder--such a different tone to a comment Obama made in his speech at the rally. He spoke about how America used to be a country that people looked up to, that people admired, and that if he's elected as the presidential candidate we can say: America is Back.

This comment inspired us so much. We used to live in a nation we were proud of. But now, (and I especially experience this as a world traveler) I feel such shame of who we've become: a rogue, bully nation with a crippled economy. I want to be proud of my nation again, proud of what we stand for and how we interact with the rest of the world. I want to be an example of what to do, not what to avoid.

That's partly what makes him so appealing. The Clintons focus on how THEY are coming back, and Barack focuses on how America is coming back, how Americans are voting for a new nation, not just a new leader. I think that's huge. It says volumes about the Clinton dynasty of the past, and volumes about the new leadership possibility of the future.