'Where have you been for 20 years?'

Messages poured in from around the country after last week's column on Hillary Clinton in which I said that this "smart, strong tenacious woman" had stooped to "pettiness, negativity and pandering" in her desperate campaign.

The response divided mainly into two camps: one that agrees with me, although wondering what took me so long to see the truth, and the other strongly in defense of Clinton and denouncing me for what some regarded as petty negativity.

Following is a taste of what readers had to say:

John: "I'll stipulate that Hillary is smart, strong and tenacious. But that's not why I, or most others, despise her. It's because she is a pathological liar, a complete phony, free of scruples and will do anything she believes to be required to acquire power for herself. This has been obvious for years, but only opened some eyes, Bob, when she trained her ruthlessness on a liberal favorite."

Peter: "I've never read anything you've written before ... and maybe you're not the dope that burst forth in the first few sentences of today's column. But are you really implying that the people who dislike Ms. Clinton only do so because they can't stand a strong woman? ... Maybe, just maybe Mr. Sanders, people dislike her because, as you seem to be finally realizing, she's Nixon with a bra."

DJ: "Your article is incorrect. The traits Sen. Clinton displays has made many women (and my 11-year-old daughter) admire her more. People like you in the media and the [Democratic National Party] have shown their blatant hate of all things Clinton. I cannot believe the amount of bias. ... The Democrats will lose the White House this year. You can thank the media and the Democratic leaders for that."

Zack: "I love it when you 'so-called reformed' Clintonites grab at anything to justify your opposition to Hillary. [She] has proven herself a great candidate far more than any of us ever thought she would be and yet for people like you it would NEVER be enough, and [you] always look for any way to dis her and say she just didn't live up to your 'expectations'. Please, it is called 'white guilt.'"

Carol: "I am a Democrat in West Virginia. We want our vote to be counted. It appears that everyone wants HRC to bail out prior to the end of the primaries. I think that is wrong. It shows the impatience of 'The Ugly American.' ... [Obama] does not have the experience needed to become the President of the United States. I would not hire him. There is a great amount of sexism involved."

Anonymous: "Good job ... except you again had to add a little racial hate, your calling card. You just had to compare Hillary's blue-collar comments as referring to 'whites.' Can you ever write a column without adding race to it? Or at least a column to show the faults of both blacks and whites?"

Carolan: "Your article is good, but must you smear people like myself who actually admire 'smart, strong, tenacious' women, just not this woman? ... Please lay off us. It's tiring and counterproductive."

Jessica: "Nice try, to further smear Hillary, while misogynists get off free in this election. This is a campaign for hearts and minds. Obama appeals to guilty hearts; Hillary appeals to hearts and minds. ... Let me know how turning your back on Hillary works out for us all in November."

Stephanie: "She has to fight all the way to the finish line. If the Obama supporters are smart, they will shut up and let her do this in a way that will lead to less hostility among her supporters. If they want to jeopardize their candidate in the fall, they can keep talking."

Al: "I felt as I read [the column] that you must be very young and naïve, are you?"

Colleen: "Well-written, well-researched. Not off the top of the head or regurgitating popular opinion. Just good old-fashioned solid journalism."

Tom: "Personally I have her pegged as a devious politician who will misrepresent the truth when it works in her favor."

Gerard: "You're just getting this? Where have you been for 20 years? Under a rock?"

Ralph: "Your column said a lot more about you than it did about Sen. Clinton. Accusing her of racism was vile and totally uncalled for. Both Clintons have been champions of civil rights forever. They do not deserve to be tarred by someone like you, who should know better."

Kenneth: "You mean the blinders that you have been wearing for the last 16 years now have a hole in them. Those folks in Arkansas saw that long before she entered the White House. Now if only you would open your eyes to see how dumb and dangerous Jimmy Carter really is?"

Fred: "David Brooks on KERA Friday had the best line: 'People are leaving the theater, but Hillary is still watching the credits.'"

Pam: "I am fortunate to be a Denton County alternate at-large delegate to the Texas Democratic State Convention ... for Barack Obama. I have voted Republican in the past; however, I am 'turned off' by the Republican Party. Senator Obama has been an energizing factor in my political switch. I do like Senator Clinton for many of the reasons you gave in your article! Not that it really matters, but I am a white, over 50, female who is a native of Texas."