Dear Hillary

Today you lost the most important fight of your life for the Democratic Presidential nominee.

As I write this, CNN is reporting that Obama only needs 4 more delegates to clinch the nomination and as a Barack supporter, I am feeling a surprising amount of sadness about your loss.

Because the truth is, Senator Clinton, I was your strongest supporter.

I remember running into a neighbor, Linda, at our small town grocery store in Hawaii just after your first debate as a candidate. Linda and I don't have much in common. She's a grandmother, I'm an Auntie. She's loves to scrapbook, I just love to scrap. She's a colonial settler, I'm indigenous to the Pacific.

So we usually don't have much to talk about but at that moment in the local Foodland, when we would normally nod with a warm small town smile and keep walking, we actually stopped this time and stood. Toe to toe. We had things to say to each other. We had a secret.

You see, Linda and I live in the most wonderful small town in the world. Population 5,000. A town that boasts a 90% Republican voting record. The only district in the state of Hawai'i that voted for Bush. Both of them. In all six elections. We are both devout Mormon and would not trade our conservative lifestyles or loved ones for anything in this world. We are also lifelong Democrats.

So it came as no surprise, Senator Clinton, that when you showed such grace, dignity, and smarts during those early days of running, that Linda and I finally had a common thread. The common thread were the tears of joy we shared that day in the grocery store when we realized the possibility of you becoming our next Commander in Chief.

In a town where comments such as, "I don't care who's president, as long as it's NOT Hillary" pervades many political discussions, I am sorry to say, before the campaign started, I remained silent.

I did so because, unfortunately, it wasn't socially acceptable or safe in my town to outwardly oppose those views. But I also did so knowing that unlike them, I actually educated myself about you, Senator Clinton.

I knew that, while your fellow law school students obtained sought after internships at high powered law firms, you spent a summer going door to door finding out that physically disabled children had no access to schools and then writing policies that are now integral in the current ADA laws.

I knew that you never stopped caring about children and worked to ensure the possibility that health would truly become a right and not a privilege in this country. In fact, I looked forward to wrapping our children in the arms of an administration lead by you, knowing that their future was safe in your hands.

I knew that you worked hard to ensure that civil rights in the great country are upheld as well as those in our working class, the very foundation this country is built on.

But during the campaign, I found out that there are many things I did not know about you. So early on, with some trepidation at first and then with growing enthusiasm and confidence, I began to support Barack Obama.

I could go on now about our Democratic Presidential Nominee and future President of United States of America, but this letter is to you, about you, Senator Clinton.

As all the pundits and analysts tell you and the American people what you did wrong, I am writing this to tell you how personal those wrongs were.

My first disappointment came when you lost Iowa. You were visibly shocked and annoyed that a newcomer to a presidential campaign would have the gall to run and then win against you. There was arrogance in your loss, Hillary. And that was the beginning of your end in my eyes.

Your tears in New Hampshire. Tears for this country, or tears because you were still recovering from a loss of a state you felt sure to win? I felt manipulated, Senator, that you did not display the kind of dignity you had in past debates and speeches.

The racial bigotry displayed in South Carolina. Beneath you and beneath the voters. The most desperate act of all. That was your saddest day.

There seems to be many other incidents along with Ickles's veiled threat at the DNC Rules committee, McAuliffes' constant spin and lies, and now your attempt to manipulate our current presumptive nominee into choosing you as his running mate so I needn't say more.

But in spite of all this, I know there is more work for you to do yet in our country, and maybe the VP slot is that work. But there two things I hope you have taken away from this experience. First, I hope you have learned that honesty, transparency, and respect is becoming the new spin. You shoud have remained the smart, honest, compassionate, beautiful leader you were born to be. Second, know that every time your supporters state that you are "the most qualified", I would like you to take a look at mine and millions of other voters who beg very much to differ. This wasn't your time, Senator, not in the way you wanted it to be.

Sincerely and Respectfully,
Elizabeth J. Rago-Ka'ili

p.s. I read somewhere that a woman puts all of her husband's underwear in the freezer every time he behaves badly. I suggest you do the same. Bill needs to chill.