Hillary Clinton Has "Issues"

I have really tried to like Hillary Rodham Clinton. I wanted to support her in her presidential bid since, as a woman, I believed it would be a boon to our sex if a woman were elected President of the United States. However, I just couldn't like Hillary Clinton and her latest bit of testiness confirms my belief that she was not the right woman. Sadly, she may not be the right woman for Secretary of State either.

On August 10, 2009, Hillary Clinton was at a town hall meeting in the Congo when a university student (through an interpreter) apparently asked her what her husband, Bill Clinton, thought about an issue. Ms. Clinton visibly bristled and disbelievingly asked, "You want me to tell you what my husband thinks?" She angrily asserted, "My husband is not Secretary of State. I am." Ms. Clinton then delivered this terse bit, "If you want my opinion, I will tell you my opinion." As she crossed her arms in anger, she finished with a sarcastic, "I am not going to be channeling my husband." (1)

I understand that she does not want to live in the shadow of her famous husband, former President Bill Clinton. It must have really burned her when he arranged the pardon of the two Current TV journalists from Kim Jong II, when she can't make headway in eliminating the North Korea nuclear threat. I understand that she may be frustrated that President Obama's numerous overseas visits have overshadowed hers. I understand that she wants to be taken seriously on her own merits. The talk that her husband may have unintentionally helped her presidential bid fail because he "misread the revolted-by-politics mood of the country but also stoked (intentionally or not) the country's racial divide with his comments" probably fuels a festering resentment. (2) She's probably still p*ssed off about Monica Lewinsky too. I doubt many young male interns make passes at her. However, there was a better way to handle the situation than to show the world that she is clearly resentful and does not want to be reminded of Bill Clinton wherever she goes. That's not very classy and it's certainly not statesmanlike, or should I say stateswomanlike.

To make matters worse, it seems the translator got it wrong and the student was asking what President Obama thought. Thus, Hillary may have overreacted for nothing.

She is right. Her husband is not Secretary of State. He is a former President of the United States who appointed a Secretary of State. Bill Clinton will always outrank Hillary Clinton. He will likely always be more popular than she will. Her obvious competition seems doomed to failure.

If Hillary Clinton had brought her attitude to the White House as President of the United States, can you imagine what things she might have said or done?

"You like the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993? That was my husband's stupid idea so I'm abolishing it. If you want to have kids or need medical treatment then you should have listened to my health care plan in the 1990s."

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell - now it's We're Asking and We're Telling."

"The Federal Assault Weapons Ban - that's for wimps, like my husband. I'm not channeling my husband, I'm channeling Charlton Heston to show my bipartisanship - all guns are cool!"

While perusing the launch codes, Hillary demands, "Get me Monica Lewinsky's current address!"

Hey, if W could lie to start a war against Saddam Hussein to avenge his daddy, why not?

Sources:

(1) http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/10/clinton.translation/index.html

(2) http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/05/28/despite-missteps-bill-clintons-legacy-will-emerge-intact.html