Democrats have had an embarrassment of riches for the 2008 presidential campaign.

What a dream list -- Edwards, Obama, Clinton, Biden, Dodd, Richardson.

Compared to what the GOP had to offer this season -- Giuliani, McCain, Huckabee, Romney -- the Democrats have been a brain trust.

As a lifelong Democrat, it would take a lot to force me from the party, especially in this election. To paraphrase a friend, I'd vote for a rock before I would vote for McCain.

But I've been feeling a little worried in recent weeks -- as we held our breaths for the Democratic primaries in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Indiana, I kept thinking, "What will happen to the friendships I have with Obama supporters if Hillary wins?" And, how will I feel toward the uber-Obama supporters if Hillary loses?

I know a lot of strong, smart, politically savvy women who are ardent in their passion for the candidate of their choice, but I have a funny feeling that there is going to be more to this 'putting the party back together' thing than just saying, "OK, now I'll vote for the other person."

There are wounds that are going to have to heal, because there's been some name-calling here and there over our respective choices, and that just never feels good.

Hey, this just is a political race! I don't need to relive those horrible junior high school days where I wasn't the cool kid because my mom cut my hair funny and my clothes weren't in style.

At this stage of my life, I'm all for healthy debate, but I've sensed that, at least for the Democrats, that debate has gotten a little personal.

I don't think you can ever have enough friends, especially when you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to cover your back. So I really don't want to lose any because I was for Hillary before I wasn't!

Now that we're almost to the end of this "long national nightmare," let's still be friends, OK?

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Joanne writes about the intersection of politics and motherhood at her place, PunditMom. She's got so many political things to say, you can also find her at MOMocrats and BlogHer, where she's a Contributing Editor for Politics & News.