Published in the New York Post on March 21, 2008.
Now that Hillary Clinton’s schedule as first lady has been released, her near-total lack of serious involvement in the real inner workings of the government is bluntly apparent.
There are few, if any, meetings with Cabinet members, congressional leaders, the National Security Council, the National Economic Council, leaders of the Irish peace process, players in the Bosnian crisis or representatives from Rwanda. All of her so-called experience is absent from her daily schedule. What’s there, for us all to see, is one soft event after another, a schedule far more typical of such first ladies as Mamie Eisenhower or Lady Bird Johnson than of a future presidential candidate.
This near-total paucity of participation in policy-making dovetails with our recollection of her White House role. In 1995 and 1996, she largely toured the country, speaking at ceremonial events, wrote a book (”It Takes A Village”) and toured the world. During her international travels, there was no serious diplomacy, just a virtually endless round of meetings with women, visiting arts-and-crafts centers, watching native industries and photo opportunities for the local media.
President Bill Clinton’s memoirs reflect this absence of substance. The book contains only a handful of mentions of his wife that aren’t related to their joint travel, her health-care-reform program or her ceremonial duties. The Hil- lary she now claims to be was nowhere evident.
Hillary Clinton was deeply involved in the White House’s inner workings only from the time of Bill’s election through the Democratic defeat in the congressional elections of 1994. She played a key role in choosing the Cabinet and staff, in crafting the health-care-reform legislation and in relations with the Democratic Congress.
But Bill Clinton saw his loss of Congress as owing to Hillary’s policies and ideas. He felt that his presidency had been captured by a liberal phalanx that included the first lady and such staffers as George Stephanopoulos and Harold Ickes. He realized the need to move to the center and exiled Hillary from the White House, asking her to mix the largely ceremonial duties of her “job” with writing, speaking and policy advocacy. Her key role in the White House was a thing of the past - and remained so through all of 1995, 1996 and 1997.
Only in January 1998 did Hillary come back to real power - in order to lead the defense to the Monica Lewinsky scandal and prevent Bill’s impeachment. Of course, after April 1999, she was consumed with her New York Senate race.
So Hillary’s experience, real enough in 1993-94, led to a total disaster, the first loss of the House for the Democrats in 40 years. Her experience in 1998-99 was focused almost exclusively on defending against impeachment, hardly relevant for the future. But her schedule shows the vacuity of her experience in the years in between - the key years of the Clinton presidency - when the budget was balanced, the economy turned around, welfare reformed, Bosnia transformed and Kosovo freed.
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“So Hillary’s experience, real enough in 1993-94, led to a total disaster, the first loss of the House for the Democrats in 40 years.” — Dick Morris
And as she led that disaster, she continues to destroy the democrats because of her lust for power which will lead to another democrat disaster. [Yes! She is that polarizing.] This woman does not love her party, for if she did she would not have abandoned the black citizen vote. She took a gamble on the Latino population because she knows we are the fastest growing minority group. Just as Hillary/Ferraro/Bill played the race card multiple times against the black citizens of our society, I cannot help but think that she will do the same against my fellow Latinos.
The idiots like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Bill Coulter have the same “heart condition” as Billary. They would rather see this nation destroyed by promoting Hillary and they take gambles with that. This is unAmerican to promote a known evil such as “Billary”. And now they are hypocrites.
If Hillary manages to steal the elections, I welcome our black citizens over to the Party of Abe Lincoln - to band together with us and shift it back to the Party of Abe.
Regards,
Loved the news clip of her telling of her Bosnia trip where she had to avoid sniper attacks on the airport runway by putting her head down and running to the car from the aircraft. MSNBC showed footage of a celebration at the airport in Bosnia upon her arrival and missing were the sniper attacks!! I thought to myself as she was “actually” saying this (just this week), wouldn’t we have known if the First Lady had to run from the plane to her car to avoid the attacks? Brother! The lies, the lies and more lies!!How much do the Clintons expect the public to stomach!?
When is Obama going to call her to account for the “experience” rubbish she is sprouting. When is he going to sit down with her “experience list” and blow it away. She is no more experienced to be Commander in Chief than my cat!
Hillary’s real life is so often the life that she does not lead.
“She is no more experienced to be Commander in Chief than my cat!”
I would also include that “cool cat”…Obama.
jb
Hillary is not qualified for president. In fact when you compare Obama to Hillary, Obama is MORE qualified. He was elected to the Illinois Senate for 12 years.. He has practical street experience in thw world
of working and living.
Hillary, I do not giver her work/life experience much credit. And her
integrity/Honesty..hmm a negative number about -50.