The Steamboat Pilot & Today

In the span of about 20 minutes, Chris Bannister went from a sharp Hillary critic to an adoring fan. I was with Chris, a college buddy, at the Martini Ranch bar on 14th Street Tuesday night. He took me to a party hosted by Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century of New York. In the time leading up to Hilary's speech, Chris and others around him dismissed Hillary as cold and calculating. I wondered if I was making a mistake by not exercising my credentials to be in the Pepsi Center myself. But that doubt was quickly erased. What transpired was a scene I'm sure rivaled those taking place at the Pepsi Center or anywhere else in the citiy. Bar staff turned up the televisions when she took the stage, and the young New York liberals sipping complimentary Heineken Lights turned to focus on their high-profile senator. The cheers and applause started when Hillary described herself as a proud senator from New York. They didn't stop until she left the stage. In the time between, Hillary unequivocally threw her support behind presumptive nominee Barack Obama. As she delivered a powerful passage vowing to "keep going" and asking Americans to do the same, several in the bar rubbed the goosebumps on their arms. When it was all over I looked at Chris and asked if Hillary had one him over. "She nailed it," he said.