I just don't get it! I can't get rid of Hillary. Week after week, month after month, and year after interminable year Hillary is promoted, celebrated, proposed as the inevitable next president, endlessly sanctified -- pushed down our throats relentlessly. I have one simple question -- WHY?
Hillary was a not-very-well liked First Lady, as I recall, until Bill dallied with Monica. Then, suddenly, she was a sweetheart -- everybody loved her. Not because of anything she had accomplished for the people, but simply because she was a lady scorned. I could certainly sympathize with her humiliation and pain, but this, to my mind, did not automatically confer upon her the qualities needed to lead the Free World.
And then she became a U.S. Senator from my state, New York. As far as I could see, she had no political or emotional attachment to us, but partly, I presume, because of the continuing empathy for Bubba's betrayal, she won the seat (helped a great deal by Pat Moynihan's endorsement). She sort of sidled into a position bringing access to her big ambitions, never mind whether it was a legitimately obtained post or not.
My belief is that she was an undistinguished senator, at best. The few bills she sponsored failed to pass, for the most part. And, none were particularly significant in any case. More than that, she voted to authorize President Bush to invade Iraq -- to her and most other senators' eternal shame. I'll never understand that mass capitulation to utter chaos. I refuse to accept the fact that she shouldn't be criticized for that unfortunate decision inasmuch as most other legislators voted for it, too. If I, an ordinary woman with no background in political science or particular smarts in national policy could clearly see that invading Iraq would be a disaster, why couldn't she, who was privy to the latest intelligence and information available (though, as we all learned, false intelligence)? Certainly Hillary must have recognized the fallacy of the vote and should have had the guts to speak out. She was, after all, representing New York, which had suffered the 9-11 attack but even so, was fiercely anti-war.
However, at the height of the Iraq madness, in 2005 she DID cosponsor a bill. Mind you, the war was raging, people were dying by the thousands, Iraq was being destroyed, and what did she come up with? A resolution to impose punishment on people who burned American flags. Given the fact there had been only one or two such incidents for years, it was not only useless but a clear indication of her opportunistic reaching out to Conservatives. Why would she do that? Obviously, she was contemplating a run for the White House and gathering support from the neo-cons. This, coupled with her courtship of the Right early in her senate career by suddenly attending church regularly further supports the theory that she assumed any guise to curry favor with who she hoped would be future supporters. I suspect the woman has no core beliefs to guide her decisions.
And, she not only voted to launch the war against Iraq, but hawkishly voted for escalation of our troops there. She also supported the invasion of Afghanistan. It has to be stated -- Hillary is a hawk. Can we trust her as President to use good judgment in matters of war and peace? I'm not willing to take such a perilous chance.
Let us now consider her conduct as Secretary of State. Can anyone enlighten me as to anything she accomplished in that most critical office? Post-Hillary, we find the Middle East in turmoil as great as ever. We see Russia turning toward totalitarianism again, hundreds of children being kidnapped in Africa, and all manner of other crises throughout the globe. What positive imprint on our international relations did she leave?
On a personal note, I find it slightly unseemly that she spends a great deal of her time now lecturing and speaking for huge fees. This is unfair of me, perhaps".it's just a private prejudice. I don't think former leaders of our country should profit like that, particularly doing so before manufacturing groups and others not so sympathetic to democratic principles.
I also have a sort of negative reaction to what appears to be a dynasty in the making. I'm quite frankly tired of the Clintons. I'd like to see new faces and ideas pop up on the political landscape. AARP, please don't jump on me too harshly!
However, let me assure you, readers. If it's a choice between a Paul Ryan or a Jeb Bush, or a Rand Paul or any other Republican on the landscape, well"of course Hillary will have my vote.
JOAN WILE -- author of newly-published book,
GRANDMOTHERS AGAINST THE WAR: GETTING OFF OUR FANNIES AND STANDING UP FOR PEACE (Citadel Press, May 2008 -- available at amazon.com and in book stores), which is an account of her founding of (more...)