Dear Sen. Clinton,

Like most Americans, I have witnessed your family's rise to the loftiest summits of American government. Like most Democrats, I have cast my share of ballots for the Clinton name. The service you and your husband have rendered to this nation and this party are immeasurable and worthy of our highest esteem.

The current campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination has been long, hard-fought and filled with both defeats and victories for its two remaining contenders. Surely a woman of such pragmatic and gifted political skills as you possess must now see that prolonging this nomination battle endangers the nation that only a Democratic president can heal, the party to which you have devoted your life, and the legacy that the Clinton name will represent to future generations.

By any mathematical calculation in accordance with party rules, Sen. Obama is all but absolutely certain to secure the nomination. By all analyses of experienced and dispassionate observers, there is no path for you to claim ultimate victory. By any measure of success, however, you have shattered the marble ceiling for all qualified women who will follow in your footsteps. This breakthrough is an historic contribution to our democracy. There are others I would urge you to make, as well.

By announcing the end of your candidacy in the coming weeks, you have the opportunity to serve your party, your country and your family's legacy in important ways.

You can serve by helping bind up the wounds this primary season has opened in the Democratic Party, help heal our hurt constituencies and strengthen our conviction that a strong, united party will compete to victory in the fall election.

You can make certain that the policies of our next president are the policies of a Democratic administration that you realize must not be delayed or derailed. Your courageous support is vital to Sen. Obama defeating John McCain. More important, it is vitally needed so that we may rescue our country from the specter of another Republican administration, which has vowed to continue the distraction of a war on the wrong enemy, the disaster of an economy that helps only the wealthy few and the distopia of permanent assault on our most cherished liberties.

Lastly, Sen. Clinton, you can restore the reputation of yourself and your family, now seriously tarnished by the protracted and divisive character of this primary season. Nothing short of your graceful exit from the race and your family's whole-hearted support of Sen. Obama will ensure that future generations of Americans will honor the Clinton name by saying "They loved the country more than self."

For all these reasons, and because I especially believe the last one is true, please consider your options and choose voluntarily to embrace the fate before you and the opportunities that come with it. How you answer your country's call in this hour is more important than at any previous time in your long years of dedicated service.