As a white female in the Sen. Clinton demographic, a liberal Democrat living in (shock) South Carolina, I've received mailers from the John Edwards campaign (positive, sticking to his messages, no attack dog language) and Barack Obama (negative robo calls attacking Hillary, mailers that say he won't be attacking as he accuses the Clintons of doing, but then he proceeds to do so) -- and haven't received a single mailer or call from the Clinton campaign. Not that any of these mailers or calls would persuade me one way or the other, frankly -- it's just interesting as additional support for the signs and portents of Clinton expectations in the South Carolina vote.

I appreciate the fact that each candidate brings different lifetime experiences to the campaign and to a possible presidency. In other words, I would very proudly and confidently vote for Sen. Obama, Mr. Edwards or Sen. Clinton, but I'm leaning toward Sen. Clinton not because she's a woman but because she has exhibited great leadership in human rights, children's issues, education -- and she's tough enough to figure out a way to get us out of the Bush quagmire in the Middle East. I think she's learned in the past 7 years as a senator what she needs to do to get universal health care passed. I do wish she'd muzzle her husband, and I wonder what she's going to do when he thinks he's co-president and proceeds to make foreign policy (as Jimmy Carter has been accused of doing.)

Please don't assume that a vote in South Carolina that is not for Sen. Obama is necessarily racist. Having also lived in the Midwest and in Pennsylvania, I can assure you that the national media can find just as many toothless, illiterate racists in dives flying the so-called Confederate flag in those locales as they find here. But even in South Carolina, most of us have all of our teeth, wear shoes, and generally are open and well-meaning toward all people. Let's stay focused on the big picture in this campaign, no matter who the ultimate candidate is. Frankly, I'd be very happy to see eight years of President Hillary Clinton, then eight years of President Barack Obama, and then maybe we'd need a moderate, Republican candidate to bring us back from any excesses we Democrats have instilled. I think that's about right to keep the country in balance. Two Democratic administrations for every one Republican?