Clinton's 3 am phone call on the campaign trail was Michigan/Florida. And she failed.

Hillary Clinton said in a March 20 press release that "It is unacceptable to disenfranchise the voters who participated in January and if Senator Obama allows that to happen, there will be implications for Democrats in the general election." On May 12, she said "The nearly two and a half million Americans in those two states who participated in the primary elections are in danger of being excluded from our democratic process and I think that’s wrong." Her belief (now) about the importance of enforcing the right of voters in Michigan and Florida to have their votes counted: "That is why generations of brave men and women marched and protested, risked and gave their lives for this right."

Obviously, this threat to a fundamental right, this violation of the very right that our fellow citizens have fought and died for, at the very minimum counts as a "3 am phone call". And when that phone rang, what strong, decisive and well reasoned way did she show her good judgment? By agreeing to void this fundamental right in order to ingratiate herself to the very Superdelegates who decided to void this "fundamental right" and to the voters of New Hampshire and Iowa.

September 1, 2007 is when that red phone rang. When Hillary Clinton answered it, she agreed to void those votes. Her statement strongly defending this fundamental right: "We believe Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina play a unique and special role in the nominating process. And we believe the DNC’s rules and its calendar provide the necessary structure to respect and honor that role. Thus, we will be signing the pledge to adhere to the DNC approved nominating calendar." Whoops. Guess fundamental rights take a back seat to political expediency.

As a practical matter, there are many arguments as to why Michigan and Florida should not count -- not the least of which is that we can look forward to Iowa caucuses in the summer of 2011 if they are counted. A commentator I rarely agree with sums it up well, saying "what would it say about personal responsibility in this country if we allow the two states that broke all the rules to end up having the biggest say of all?"

But whether Florida and Michigan's votes should be counted is not the point. The point is that Hillary Clinton says counting those votes is a matter fundamental to the functioning and validity of our democracy. And when that phone rang back in September, when the voice on the other end of the line said "Hillary, your own party is ready to disenfranchise Florida and Michigan," what was her response? "Go for it." So is Hillary Clinton "tested and ready to lead?" Tested, yes. Ready to lead? Hardly.