http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/25/807581.aspxCampaigning in Indianapolis for her mother, Chelsea Clinton had a quick retort when asked a question she had never had before. When a male student asked her if her mother's credibility had been hurt during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Clinton quickly responded.
"Wow, you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question, in the, maybe 70 college campuses that I've been to," Clinton bitterly said at Butler University. "And I don't think that's any of your business."
The students gathered to see Clinton quickly erupted into applause. Clinton took one more question, on global warming, and then wrapped up the event.
Clevinger said:What a dick to ask something like that.
Why wasn't the truth good enough for Hillary Rodham Clinton?
That's a question worth considering as the former first lady tries to contain damage to her credibility after getting caught exaggerating the danger of her 1996 trip to Bosnia. Two others: Is there a pattern of embellishment? And is she held to a higher standard than her rival, Barack Obama?
The answers: Yes, she's held to a higher standard and, yes, she does exaggerate her credentials. Perhaps she's driven by insecurity; Clinton must think her resume needs padding to reflect "35 years of experience" and the promise to be "ready on Day One."
Otherwise, the truth would have sufficed.
The fact is that Clinton and her entourage were warned in advance that Bosnia was hostile territory and that there had been sniper fire reported in the hills surrounding the tarmac at some point before the trip. As a journalist on the trip, the story I wrote began, "Venturing to the front lines of the Bosnia peacekeeping mission, Hillary Rodham Clinton greeted U.S. troops today and heard horror stories about the region's devastating civil war."
It continued: "Security was tight � fighter jets accompanied her DC-17 cargo plane to Tuzla � but officials said the first lady took no extraordinary risks on the trip."
In her biography, Clinton wrote about the reports of snipers in the hills and said she met with local children on the tarmac, adding that the gathering was cut short by security concerns. All plausible, and a mission to be proud of.
But during a speech last week on Iraq, Clinton stretched the truth to the breaking point. "I certainly do remember that trip to Bosnia and ... there was a saying around the White House that if a place was too small, too poor, or too dangerous, the president couldn't go, so send the first lady. That's where we went. I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."
Hogwash. The truth is:
� There was no sniper fire.
� Nobody ducked for cover.
� Bad weather, not security concerns, kept her husband from making the same trip a few months earlier.
Clinton and her aides stood behind the story � which she has told more than once � until video surfaced showing the former first lady, her daughter, Chelsea, and their entourage strolling off the plane and walking calmly across the tarmac.
"I made a mistake," she said Tuesday. "That happens. It proves I'm human, which you know, for some people, is a revelation."
To be sure, Clinton is not the first American to pad a resume. She's not even the only candidate for president to do so.
Obama has exaggerated his role in reaching a compromise in the Senate on immigration as well as his authorship of a bill to address the housing crisis. Voters need to weigh such distortions when they consider whether the freshman senator from Illinois truly is a new breed of politician.
What makes Clinton's situation unique � and the Bosnia embellishments so damaging � is the fact that the New York senator has built her candidacy on the illusion of experience. Any attack on her credentials is a potential Achilles heel.
As first lady, she did not attend National Security Council meetings, did not receive the presidential daily briefing on terrorism and other threats and did not have a top level security clearance. Her foreign trips were glorified goodwill tours, a collection of photo opportunities and sightseeing trips.
Still, Clinton was an exceptionally active first lady who knows more than most about what it takes to be president. So it must drive her nuts when Obama and his allies dismiss her role. Their condescension must make it harder for Clinton to accept the fact that hers was a largely ceremonial job, especially after her ill-fated attempt to overhaul the nation's health care system.
And so the best explanation for her Bosnia embellishment may be this simple, and this human: She's overcompensating.
That would explain why it wasn't good enough to say she visited Northern Ireland five times and urged the rivals to make peace. No, Clinton claims she "helped bring peace to Northern Ireland."
She didn't just urge the Macedonian government to open its borders to refugees. No, she "negotiated open borders to let fleeing refugees into safety from Kosovo."
Polls show that voters wonder about Clinton's honesty and authenticity. The Bosnia story plays to that character issue. As former Vice President Al Gore could tell her, once the media and voters start doubting a candidate's integrity, every episode that fits that narrative gets blown out of proportion.
Gore never said he invented the Internet; his mistake was to place himself more centrally than warranted at the creation of the technology. But such nuance was lost on people who voted against him in 2000.
Clevinger said:What a dick to ask something like that.
gluv65 said:Hillary's former Pastor on the Rev. Wright situation.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times," Snyder wrote. "He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/25/pastor-of-clintons-forme_n_93418.html
AniHawk said:Man I hope the Clinton campaign quickly implodes from the backlash. They deal poorly when responding to controversy. Now's the time to look into other contradicting statements from Hillary and take her to task.
gluv65 said:Hillary's former Pastor on the Rev. Wright situation.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times," Snyder wrote. "He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/25/pastor-of-clintons-forme_n_93418.html
tanod said:Article also says that the Clinton campaign hasn't even given them clarification of which church she actually considers herself a member of. Hillary, that was a nice non-committal response with the whole "he wouldn't be MY pastor" line. Typical
The church she attends is not on her website, either. Just checked.
gluv65 said:Hillary's former Pastor on the Rev. Wright situation.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times," Snyder wrote. "He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/25/pastor-of-clintons-forme_n_93418.html
Instigator said:If you don't like it, don't campaign for the Clintons.
Pulling a hissy fit because you got asked that question 70 times at other colleges is hardly an excuse, especially for someone who refuses to do media interviews. How are we supposed to know who asked what and what you answered or not when you run away from any sort of media scrutiny?
I guess the guy would be equally a dick for questionning Chelsea on that sniper fire in Bosnia controversy, especially since she was right there with her mom in that country.
tanod said:Article also says that the Clinton campaign hasn't even given them clarification of which church she actually considers herself a member of. Hillary, that was a nice non-committal response with the whole "he wouldn't be MY pastor" line. Typical
The church she attends is not on her website, either. Just checked.
I have to agree here. While we may loudly speculate that the bolded above is probably true, that's not the kind of thing you ask someone about their parents, not even when they're political candidates. It's rude and cruel.Clevinger said:Uh, no. The question was about an adultery scandal involving her parents, and really, one that likely deeply affected her growing up. It's a question an interviewee with the slightest bit of intelligence would realize she wouldn't answer, and likewise should already know the answer to.
A legitimate, non-dickish question would be about Hillary's Bosnia lies, not about her parent's marital controversy that has likely impacted her life in a very major way for many years.
But yeah, it should've gone like this:
Question: Is your mother an opportunist bitch only staying with her cheating husband, your father, to become President?
Chelsea: Why yes, yes she is. Thank you for the tasteful question, good sir.
mashoutposse said:Not former pastor, but pastor at their former church. Still, the more people that come out to defend Rev. Wright, the better. The full sermons from which the soundbites have been extracted are pretty on-point.
mckmas8808 said:Why not? What's the problem?
In this case, I agree. I think it would be extremely difficult for anyone to publicly denounce their parent(s) in any way in a situation like this. Whether it be discussing their marital issues and their relations to the campaign or not entirely refuting her mother's recollection of the Bosnia lies, I think Chelsea is in the clear. I also, however, don't think they should be using her for political gain, either...Clevinger said:Uh, no. The question was about an adultery scandal involving her parents, and really, one that likely deeply affected her growing up. It's a question an interviewee with the slightest bit of intelligence would realize she wouldn't answer, and likewise should already know the answer to.
A legitimate, non-dickish question would be about Hillary's Bosnia lies, not about her parent's marital controversy that has likely impacted her life in a very major way for many years.
But yeah, it should've gone like this:
Question: Is your mother an opportunist bitch only staying with her cheating husband, your father, to become President?
Chelsea: Why yes, yes she is. Thank you for the tasteful question, good sir.
v1cious said:i'm watching Larry king, and Maureen Dowd just said she lied about her role in Ireland as well.
Zen said:Can we get links to the full sermons for each of the inflamatory soundbites? So far I only saw the sermon dealling with 9/11 and the "chickens" soundbite.
mckmas8808 said:Hillary did lie. The internet has been saying this for weeks now.
thefro said:Apparently Leno led with a joke about the sniper gaffe tonight, so Clinton's been officially hit for massive damage on this one.
Unfortunately they're off for another week or two, we'll probably be talking about another new and interesting lie by that point.reilo said:Not until SNL makes fun of it.
I rolled my eyes heavily typing that, btw.
StopMakingSense said:Holy shit, I had managed to forget about hillaryis44 for a good few weeks. Out of nowhere I had an itch to see what they were posting over there. The top post is nigh incomprehensible.
Lets discuss politically Dumb White People and their embarrassing ways, ProgressiveBarack ObamaOsama Bin Laden, and flim flam artist and friend to bigots and slumlords - Barack Obama and his latest batch of lies and race baiting.
v1cious said:Ireland, not Bosnia. she claims she helped the liberation process, but Dowd says her whole trip was spent drinking tea and talking to people.
Oh yeah, par for the course. I've said before, I wonder what CoolTrick's handle is over there...reilo said:....
Did they just call him Osama bin Laden?
Wasn't it Lanny Davis or somebody on the Clinton campaign speaking on MSNBC who tried to hint that David Trimble was a sexist?Tamanon said:Right, and that's been on the net for a week or two, the Nobel winner for the peace negotiations stated it themselves.
v1cious said:Ireland, not Bosnia. she claims she helped the liberation process, but Dowd says her whole trip was spent drinking tea and talking to people.
gluv65 said:Hillary's former Pastor on the Rev. Wright situation.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times," Snyder wrote. "He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/25/pastor-of-clintons-forme_n_93418.html
polyh3dron said:WHY ARE WE STILL SEEING SHIT ABOUT THIS JEREMIAH WRIGHT BULLSHIT?
Smiles and Cries said:Is this the worst news cycle for Hillary we can hope for?
Bill should cheat again I bet that would be a plus for her campaign right?
That's Twisted Sistergluv65 said:I WANT BARACK, Nice pseudo heavy metal jam aka Twisted Metal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgkrX-NSt6Q
And Hillary is related to Angelina Jolie? That must be a distant, distant relation....Lemonz said:Barack Obama and Brad Pitt - related?
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080325/ap_on_el_pr/candidates_genealogy