Hillary Rodham Clinton made history becoming the first woman ever nominated by a major party for the office of President of the United States.

I tuned into the Democratic National Convention this week to hear Bill's speech about his wife, and the mother of his child.

Two things became immediately clear to me.

The first, that Bill Clinton is well on his way to becoming America's hottest grandpa, and the second, that these two people are single-handedly changing the way Americans think about marriage.



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We don't live in a world that embraces sexuality. We've made strides, but we just don't.

For example, Anthony Weiner's progressive politics could have been the best thing that happened to New York City.

But unfortunately his need to lie about the oodles of dick pics he sent to female admirers kept Carlos Danger out of office. It's a real loss.

After all, if his wife, and Hillary's top adviser Huma Abedin, can work through the betrayal while raising an infant son and getting her boss elected President, then surely we can look past his foibles, yes?

New Yorkers were initially too, until Weiner's need to continually lie about his activities made him untrustworthy.

I don't blame him for lying.

Much in the way I don't blame Bill Clinton for infamously alleging never to have had sexual relations with "that woman".

Of course they lie!

No one in a position of power is safe from public censure in American politics.

Forget being a conservative, you have to be a damn pilgrim, shoes, hat, and all.

When Bill's infidelity made the news, the nation impeached him, but his wife didn't leave.

We don't know what went on behind closed doors.

But we do know that Hillary Rodham Clinton isn't stupid.



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This wasn't Bill's first encounter with a woman outside of marriage.

When you're a brilliant woman, and a feminist, with a tremendous political career ahead of you, you're going to know when your husband is screwing around.

If Hillary had left Bill, everyone would have understood that choice.

But the choice to stay is one most Americans grapple with.

Because our society is deeply sexist, we paint HRC as a Lady Macbeth type: she can't leave Bill, she needs him to complete her eeeeeevil schemes! She's a lesbian and he's her beard!

But the truth is conceivably much more complex.

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A marriage can only be defined by the people who are in it.

Bill and Hillary are proof that this is true.

Bill Clinton stood in front of the nation at the convention and talked about his relationship with his wife in good times and bad.

He was honest (except about his racist crime bill, but I won't talk about that here) about the difficulties he and Hillary faced, and in that honesty we got a glimpse at a marriage that has been dogged, dragged, and then brought out into the light.

We will potentially never know the "rules" of their marriage. We don't need to. It's not our business.

But the fact that they can stand side-by-side and present a united front for a union that's so outside the traditional norms is just as incredible as Hillary's nomination itself.

Like many out there, I take a perverse pleasure in the "punishment" of Bill Clinton: screw over your wife, and become a pioneer in the art of emasculation.



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Making Bill Clinton the first lady? Now that's revenge. I can't wait to read his cookie recipe and see what china pattern he picks out.

But I don't think that's what happening, all humor aside. Who better to serve in that position? He knows it, and she knows it, too.

Bill's role as first gentleman is symbolic of their unique marriage.

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Whatever their rules, whatever their strictures, their's is a truly equal exchange of power and their honesty about that is something we as a society should aspire to.