Sen. Clinton is the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination of 2008 and rightfully so. She has earned this position and has proved herself over the years that she can make the American public recognize her as the most practical choice for the presidency of the United States.

Many claim that Hillary does not stand out on her own on any issue. She is only noted for caring about the smaller topics or following in the steps of other political leaders on the bigger issues. There are those who insult this act of conformity. It can be said of Hillary that she is a follower -- but not a follower of her constituents but rather of the people and what are the democratic leaders in our government if not a representation of the people's thoughts, ideals and interests?

The N.Y. Sen. recently stood against President Bush's signature education law. The law required testing in public schools annually in reading and math from third grade through eighth. However, as many senators pointed out, the law had many problems. Hillary followed such senators as Sen. Dodd from Connecticut and Sen. Edwards from North Carolina on the issue.

They claimed as a whole the curriculum is under-funded and the teachers now base their lessons around these tests. When the law goes for renewal in Congress this year, Clinton will help be a powerful voice in the reformatting of the nation's public education. The law has "run-a-muck", according to Dodd and Edwards and Sen. Clinton realized that to follow the majority on this issue can only strengthen the platform to rebuild the law for a better educational system.

Not to say that the Republican Party in its entirety is a corrupt system, but based on recent political policies, it's hard to think otherwise. It will take years to get rid of the deficit that Bush has formed, a national debt of nearly $9 trillion. Unlike during Mr. Clinton's presidency when there was no debt and in fact he paid back some of our nation's debt and created the largest national surplus in American history of at least $230 billion. Sen. Clinton would have the tools to alleviate this debt since the same advisors that helped Mr. Clinton create economic prosperity during his presidency are now advising Sen. Clinton's campaign.

Some say the Clinton establishment is thinking too small, as far as ideas are concerned. This is not a flaw in her political platform, this is an advantage. Quoted in Newsweek, James Carville, the longtime advisor of the Clinton administration, has even said that the American people have "seen the consequences of having too many big ideas."

Sen. Clinton wants to take a step-by-step approach. She plans on making small but effective changes that will ultimately erode the disastrous effects of President Bush and his think-tank -- the operative word being think.

Americans must recognize that being practical, efficient and understanding both sides of an issue is not a fault. To say that she won't take a stance on an issue because she changes her opinion when new facts are presented to a case, is unfair.

For example -- the war in Iraq. The reason we went to war was because of the danger of nuclear missiles. In October of 2002, Hillary agreed the war was a necessity. According to the facts presented before Congress, Sadaam Hussein had the nuclear weaponry that could harm this country's citizens and was prepared to utilize it. Hillary Clinton acted on a position that best protected our nation and voted yes to the war. After the missiles were found to be non-existent, Hillary stated on February 2, 2007, that this war was a mistake and demanded the war had to end to save our troops. This example proves that it's not "flip-flopping", but rather being responsible and receptive to changing situations.

A president should be open to diverse viewpoints. America needs an open-minded leader; one that will listen to the beliefs of the people, though she may not agree with those beliefs herself. America needs Hillary Clinton. As Hillary has stated, "I'm in. And I'm in to win." I'm rooting for you, Hillary.