Oh, and the thank-goodness-President Bush-is-leaving thing.

Feisty and unflappable, an eclectic group of formerly homeless women and community activists gathered recently for an impromptu pizza-and-politics gabfest in Northern Liberties.

No worries, America. Your problems all got solved in one extraordinary night by seven African American, Latino and white Democrats who either work for or have been helped by the Women's Community Revitalization Project, which develops affordable housing and provides support services for people in North Philadelphia.

No one stood on ceremony, no one was shy. Folks just dived right in, opinions blazing.

"Look," said Jill Feldstein, 31, a community organizer, "When Barack Obama declared he's running for president, I felt, 'It's not your time.' This is Hillary's time."

As she spoke, Feldstein banged on the conference room table at the project's office on Fairmount Avenue. In a room filled with on-edge people pumped for an election, the noise fazed no one.

"Well, Jill, Hillary is just too emotional for me," said Nicole Hines, 32, a social worker and formerly homeless woman who works with others in the room on voter-education issues.

"That drives me up a wall!" exclaimed Stacey Moore, 39, a seasonal state worker who also used to be homeless.

"Hillary can't get a break. If she shows emotion, she's a wuss. If not, she's a bitch. What do you want from her?"

"Don't do that to me, Stacey," Hines responded.

"No, really," Moore added. "When Terrell Owens showed emotion on the football field, nobody said it made him a horrible wide receiver."

Everyone let the double-standard idea sink in. Then Hines went on:

"See, she's so emotional she can't even control her facial expressions. I smile all day and no one can tell how I feel. So, if I can do it, I think the woman who wants to run the world should be able to do it, too."

Emotion has nothing to do with it, injected Priscilla Estrella, 24, a clerical worker. "I'm for Hillary because she has more experience than Obama," she said.

This really pushed a button within Marcus Presley, a 25-year-old community organizer: "Experience in Washington doesn't necessarily make you a good leader," he said. "Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney have experience."

This experience thing riled Hines.

"All the experience Hillary has is pillow talk from her husband," she said, breaking up the room in laughter.

"But wait," Moore shot back. "You don't think they sat in bed and Bill Clinton didn't discuss some things? Give credit where credit is due. Plus, Hillary was raised in a Republican household and broke the mold to be a Democrat. I give her respect for that.

"She's smart. And she's under more pressure because she's a woman."

This perked Feldstein up. "Are you saying it's easier for a black man?" she asked.

"Obama's black and white," noted Kenneth Austin, 53, who lives on disability in North Philly. "And he's level-headed."

Then he added, "I'm not for Obama because I'm black and he's black. I just think Hillary is part of an old election machine, and Obama is a fresh taste. Besides, I'm not African American. I'm American."

This caused Nora Lichtash, 57, the executive director of the Revitalization Project, to look up from her knitting.

"But some white folks treat you second-class because you're black," she said.

"As long as we talk about race, we're not talking about jobs and housing," Austin said dismissively.

"But racism still hurts America," Feldstein added.

"It's been here 300 years and will be here another 300," Austin said. "So what?"

This reactivated Moore. "I'm African American and a woman, so that's two strikes against me. And Obama has been the candidate who tried hardest to distance himself from race, until he gave that speech about it and his pastor. Don't sugarcoat it. Be black."

"Oh, but that's why I like him," Hines chimed in. " 'Cause he never said till now he was a black man. I got that he's black. I don't need your grass roots, Barack. Just tell me what you're going to do when you're president."

The hope in the room is that either Obama or Clinton would improve Section 8 housing and help the homeless. Many North Philly people spend 90 percent of their salaries on housing, Lichtash said. And life just gets harder.

Talk around the table continued until the last two-liter Pepsi container was nearly drained. It was becoming clear that Clinton leaners wouldn't be changing the hearts and minds of Obama backers.

"Hey," Austin interjected, "as long as it's not George Bush anymore. Obama and Hillary aren't like Bush."

"I used to hate Bill Clinton for welfare reform," Hines said. "Then Bush came in and, boy, I missed Clinton."

"My cat, Orion, is better than Bush," Moore sniffed.

The back-and-forth seemed yeasty and vital. Even after all these months of primaries, the candidates still generated a buzz.

"A woman - wow," Hines said. "A black man - wow. Hey, if Obama gets in, maybe Michelle [his wife] will get a chance to run the country: a black woman. That would be something."