"A Town Torn Between Two Lovers: Obama and Hillary Come to Hollywood"

Arianna Huffington:

It's Obama Day in Los Angeles, as the candidate makes his first visit to town since officially declaring. And the Hollywood political cognoscenti are buzzing about issues big and small.

Everywhere I go people are talking about Obama -- and especially about Obama and Hillary, who is coming to town on Thursday. A recurring theme is the number of people who find themselves deeply torn between their newfound passion for Obama and their longstanding commitment to Hillary.

Their struggle is palpable. And understandable. Many of the reasons they give for continuing to support Hillary are good and honorable: loyalty, friendship, duty, a shared history (Hey, remember that time Bill gave you that medal, or that great night we all spent talking in the Lincoln bedroom? And how about that night we honored you at the Kennedy Center? Good times). It's like having kids with someone; you don't just walk away from that without a backward glance-- no matter how passionless the relationship has become.

Of course, some of the reasons people are reluctant to jump ship on Hillary are based on fear: What if she wins and I backed Barack? What if she finds those late night e-mails in which I get all hot and bothered about Barack's Iraq withdrawal plan or those IMs in which I pine over his leadership and maxed out because of his authenticity?

And make no mistake, Team Hillary has made it crystal clear that, at least when it comes to politics, there will be zero tolerance for dalliances.

Even so, you can really see the spring in people's step and the lilt in their voices when the talk turns to Obama. Just the other day I was on a hike with a friend when, on our way up the hill, we ran into a Big Hillary Supporter who was on her way down. As we stopped to chat, she told me about all the work she was doing on the big Hillary fundraiser to be held at Ron Burkle's house next month, and the big fundraising event she will be hosting later in the year. Suddenly, she looked me in the eye and asked (a tad breathlessly): Are you going to be seeing Obama when he's here? When I told her I would be, her eyes lit up. Isn't he amazing?, she asked, then proceeded to count all the ways he's amazing. After we said our good-byes, I continued making my way up the hill, filled with the gnawing sense that maybe I should have tried to make her feel a little better about her commitment to Hillary.

But what would I say? I suppose there is always the default fallback: Hey, it sure would be cool to have a woman president, wouldn't it?