CHICAGO (WBBM) - Blogger and political pundit Arianna Huffington told a gathering of more than 1,200 in Chicago Tuesday that the time is ripe for change, and that the 2008 presidential election is one of the most important in history.

WBBM's Bob Roberts has the story.

But in her keynote address at the 35th anniversary luncheon of the group Women Employed, she said that the pace of change may depend a lot on the political activism of the nation's women.

Huffington said the time is right to press for change on such issues as the Iraqi war, global warming, universal health care and corporate responsibility.

"This is an incredible moment for real change," she said.  "Partly because of the last 7-1/2 years, the public is hungry, really hungry, to close the chapter on the last dark 7-1/2 years and turn the page to a new chapter in American history."

Huffington said there should be no more discussion on such issues as women's health benefits, sick leave and dependable work hours than there is "on whether the Earth is flat."

But she said women cannot afford to merely wait for a "knight on a  white charger" -- or politicians in Washington and state capitals -- to guarantee it.

Despite that, she said the pressure for, and pace of, change is accelerating, in part because of the worldwide reach of the Internet. 

Huffington is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that marked its third anniversary last week, and is widely read and frequently cited on the Internet.