Posted on 12/01/2007 7:08:28 AM PST by jdm
Everyone expressed gratitude and relief at the end of the hostage crisis yesterday in Rochester, New Hampshire, when police arrested the disturbed man who created it. No one got hurt and a sick man will get the care he needs, and the community will receive protection from him as well. It demonstrated the competence and patience of the Rochester police department in resolving a standoff that only gained national attention because it took place in the campaign headquarters of Hillary Clinton.
Somehow, later that evening, the Clinton campaign decided this makes Hillary look presidential, at least to Larry Sabato and the AP:
And as soon as it ended, Clinton took full advantage of the opportunity she had unexpectedly been handed.
In her New Hampshire press conference, she stood before a column of police in green and tan uniforms. She talked of meeting with hostages. She mentioned that she spoke to the state’s governor about eight minutes after the incident began.
The scene was one of a woman in charge.
“It looked and sounded presidential,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “This was an instance of the White House experience of this campaign. They knew how to handle this.”
That the crisis was outside Clinton's control gave it a rare quality in this era of hyper-controlled politicking, Sabato added.
“What’s most important about it is that it’s not contrived. It’s a real event and that distinguishes it from 99 percent of what happens in the campaign season.”
Er, what? Sabato, who usually gives intelligent political analysis, must have inhaled a little deeply. Clinton was nowhere near New Hampshire during the entirety of the crisis. What was presidential about having the Rochester PD talk a hostage-taker out of a building? What "leadership" did Hillary show in Virginia during this crisis? She canceled a speech!
The AP's Glen Johnson is even worse. He breathlessly describes Hillary's efforts as "continu[ing] to call up and down the law enforcement food chain, from local to county to state to federal officials." The hostages were released within a couple of hours, and presumably their families had closer contacts with the PD, as they live closer to the offices than Virginia. "I knew I was bugging these people," Clinton told the AP, but she wanted to know minute-by-minute what was happening, so she could tell her staff and be prepared for whatever assistance she could lend. Which would be exactly .... what? If the PD wanted to have her call the ersatz bomber, they would know where to find her.
Hillary certainly didn't do anything wrong, but she didn't "take charge" as the AP implies, or look presidential, as Sabato declares. She certainly looks considerably less presidential today in trying to take credit for the professional work done by the Rochester PD yesterday. That looks a lot more like a politician than a President, and we already know her credentials for the former. This incident doesn't provide Hillary any credentials for the latter.
Jim Lynch has more thoughts, and wonders whether the FEC should consider the AP report an in-kind contribution.
I said this last night on a post.
Hillary conveniently has these opportunities to cover for every negative that is in the polls.
This one was a “Hillary-Tough Enough to run the White House”
Well, tough enough that she had herself surrounded with a Police Armada, in northern Virginia.... while the DEMO-BOMBER incident was in New Hampshire.
There are advantages to being of advanced age..
Sen. Sose (D.NY, Ill. and Ark. Grifter):
"Jay, there are literally millions of (stupid) people who have never read a printed book.
You cannot believe, Jay, how many people I have met who have told me
that MY book is the FIRST BOOK they have ever read."
Everyone has a ‘tell’.
To have to ‘deny’ doing something, without being accused, implies a guilty conscience.
““What’s most important about it is that it’s not contrived. It’s a real event and that distinguishes it from 99 percent of what happens in the campaign season.”
It was real. Everyone had practiced and was ready. And the live presentation was just spectacular.
The N.H. Police are famous (books coming out next week)
What is amazing is that Sabato just stated that 99% of the Campaign interaction with the public and MSM is totally FAKE.
Hillary. IN CHARGE. (safe in northern Virginia, surrounded by her armed milita)
“The first reports were that he is known in that area.”
Police were able to get an ID quickly on the man, as he was on the personnel roster of the HRC HQ STAFF.
Fox news was handed an ‘alias’ that also matched the name of local man.
After sufficient embarrassment for FOX news and the uninvolved local, the police released the real name of the demo-bomber to Hillary’s Public Information Department (CNN).
Thanks to Hillary, the hostage taker had more impact than he deserved. She should have gone ahead with the speech. Someone Presidential would have.
Instead, she spent the day with Huma, figuring out how to spin this to maximum advantage.
That’s what I was thinking .. LOL!
How could she handle anything - SHE WASN’T THERE!!!
Good grief!
Liberty Valance you cheated!!
That is a photosoph picture!
It got to be!
Mrs. Hitlery Clinton would never put her hands together like that. I promise.
This is really warped.
Larry Sabato = clueless
Chris Jensing on MSNBC tried to portray Hillary the same way. I’m sure reporters and producers were spun hard by Clinton’s mouthpieces, the pathetic part is they bought it and promoted it.
Clinton impresses with handling of hostage drama
Reuters (on Yahoo)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton was impressive in the cool way she handled the drama of a man seizing hostages at one of her campaign offices, some voters and analysts said on Saturday. --snip-- --
Well,, DUhhhh..
Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks to reporters in Portsmouth, New Hampshire November 30, 2007 about a hostage standoff in her campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire earlier in the day. (Brian Snyde/Reuters)
Her ‘Rudy on 911’ moment.
This one is “cuteish”. —if little confusing.
Are you trying to find a way for the Slick One (as Bob Grant would say) to win back her charms? (by pretending to be a woman?)
It could work, but never in that shirt I guarantee you. Those Stars and Stripes would ruin it for her. —the ashtrays would fly like crazy.
If you could sprinkle some hammer and sickle with those stars?! —that may do the job and ignite the old flame in both.
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