Long, tough contest will solidify party

On January 20, 2007, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee for the 2008 US presidential election, thereby joining the ranks of confirmed Democratic candidates. The list includes Senators Joseph Biden Jr, Barack Obama and Christopher Dodd.

For those eager to see a change at the White House after 2008, the long-awaited news of Senator Clinton being formally and finally "in and in to win" seems to be a cause for both excitement and concern.

It is exciting because, with the current Bush administration under siege, the entry into the presidential race of a long recognized Democratic frontrunner certainly makes the prospect of a Democratic reoccupation of the White House in January 2009 all the more promising, if not almost certain.