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Talk About Spin (AP says Hillary's handling of hostage situation made her look Presidential)
Captain's Quarters ^ | Dec. 01, 2007 | Ed Morrissey

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.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; News/Current Events; US: New Hampshire
KEYWORDS: ap; bias; glenjohnson; hillary; kneepadpress; larrysabato; nh2008; rochester; yeahright
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To: Long Island Pete

I knew this was coming. HILLARY IN CHARGE! HILLARY COOL UNDER FIRE! HILLARY GOES TO CHURCH TO PRAY AND THANK GOD FOR SAVING HER! HILLARY CAN RUN THE WORLD!

This political season cannot end fast enough for me.


21 posted on 12/01/2007 7:25:10 AM PST by cajungirl (no)
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To: jdm
Ever hear of .. "What's wrong with this picture?" .. ??

I heard the report on the radio .. first with Rush .. later with Hannity ... and I was curious about the event ... it was surreal.

Then, later in the night ... the whole thing came to an end and I saw ..

a guy in a white shirt and tie (and it looked like it was still slid up to the buttoned collar ... ) hmmmm

When the bwitch was being 'interviewed', all I could think of was President Bush delivering his first notice to the country about 9/11.

(Not a quote, but as I understood the words ..)

The people who know these things and know what to do are in charge (I have trusted intel)

I stopped listening at that point ...

I think the CWM (Clinton war machine) got a useful idiot and orchestrated this entire 'event'.

I predict it will all disappear in a week, but the thought of HILLARY ! being (once again) a victim, and overcoming .. will have been planted in just a few more wavering minds.

Remember ... INCREMENTALISM is the mantra and modus operandi of all enemies to America.

22 posted on 12/01/2007 7:25:19 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: knarf

OOPS


23 posted on 12/01/2007 7:25:50 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: NonValueAdded
The AP’s headline, “Clinton calm in hostage crisis,” is vomitous enough. Why the hell wouldn’t she be calm? She was never personally in any danger, and she had no role whatsoever in the actions taken by law enforcement. She did nothing, yet is lauded by the worshipful leftist MSM.
24 posted on 12/01/2007 7:26:04 AM PST by stillonaroll (Rudy = Hillary: pro-abortion, pro-gay, anti-gun)
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To: Global2010
>Hillary's handling of hostage situation made her look Presidential
>>Oh fer Heavens sake

They meant that she's learned
not to send flame-throwing tanks
to fry everyone . . .
25 posted on 12/01/2007 7:26:10 AM PST by theFIRMbss
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To: Cinnamon
lol. AP is bending so far backwards for Hillary that I heard a snap.

Meanwhile....

AP Chief Slams Case Against Photographer

The nut wants Hillie, calls CNN, and AP spins the event.

26 posted on 12/01/2007 7:26:21 AM PST by mewzilla (In politics the middle way is none at all. John Adams)
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To: jdm
"And as soon as it ended, Clinton took full advantage of the opportunity." she had unexpectedly been handed.

More like it.

27 posted on 12/01/2007 7:26:26 AM PST by hope (Isaiah 53 nothing redacted)
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To: jdm

While this was getting brainless wall-to-wall coverage by Fox yesterday afternoon, I told my bride that by Sunday the MSM will have this looking like Hillary stormed the walls and rescued all the hostages single-handedly.

Looks like we’re half-way there and it’s only Saturday.

Question: In the sure-to-come Redford/Close/Penn/Cruise/Baldwin movie about Hillary’s Wonder Woman rescue, who will get to play Hillary?

We know the mental case villian will become Dick Cheney in the script.


28 posted on 12/01/2007 7:26:54 AM PST by oldbill
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To: tear gas

ugly comment there. To compare Hillary and this little incident with the real leadership of Giuliani in NY both before and after 911 is simply dishonest.


29 posted on 12/01/2007 7:27:06 AM PST by cajungirl (no)
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To: jdm

Crass political opportunism of the ickiest sort. Yuck.


30 posted on 12/01/2007 7:28:00 AM PST by EternalVigilance (With "conservatives" like these, who needs liberals??)
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To: jdm

Lucky Hillary. This incident happened just in time for people to stop talking about her many plants in the debates and overall bad performance on the campaign trails - not to mention her dropping in many polls as of late.

Like any politician would, she’s milking it for all she can get. I guess I’m just cynical and maybe a bit of a conspiracist, but the whole thing sounds very “timely” to me. Just what was the guys motive for doing this? He’s mentally ill and he couldn’t get any help from our mean old government? He thought Hillary and a call to CNN might help him? This happened in New Hampshire?

(Church Lady Voice-over) “How conveeeenient!”


31 posted on 12/01/2007 7:28:12 AM PST by alicewonders
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To: jdm

I bet this nut is a plant ;)

Did he ask about pearls?


32 posted on 12/01/2007 7:28:38 AM PST by Porterville (Don't bug me about my grammar, you are not that great.)
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To: Always Right

I guess the Sucker Mr sabato drank the Kool Aid because that is exactly what the calculating Bitch wants him to think ,all I see is a Conniving witch exploiting a mentall deranged individual for her own political advancement ala Cindy Sheehan who was also ceremoniously dumped when she srved no further purpose .
Nothing would make me happier than to have this backfire in the witches face as she is so Phony when she tries to display this concern and how she was so involved ,what a crock of crap


33 posted on 12/01/2007 7:28:57 AM PST by ballplayer
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To: jdm

One more reason I call them “the Democrat Media.”


34 posted on 12/01/2007 7:28:59 AM PST by EternalVigilance (With "conservatives" like these, who needs liberals??)
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To: alicewonders

You know the most barfilicious moment of the entire presser with Hill was when she said when asked how she felt “well I am a Mother”.

I await her being deemed the “Mother of America” and wondering if I will survive it.


35 posted on 12/01/2007 7:30:33 AM PST by cajungirl (no)
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To: cajungirl
The perp was another Hillary staffer who has done good for his candidate.


36 posted on 12/01/2007 7:30:56 AM PST by Diogenesis (Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: Always Right

Hillary was safely at home in Washington, D.C. until her campaign manager, Bubba, (no doubt) told her to fly up to Rochester... pure and simple politics... and it would not surprise me in the least to learn later that the Hildabeast's maggots set up the whole hostage episode to detract attention away from something negative, like her McAllen, TX bundling scam or her fall in the polls or to make her look presidential (gag).

Thing is psychos like Eisenberg are a daily nuisance in lots of cities across the U.S.

And wasn't it coincidental (kawf) that Eisenberg wanted to talk to her about her health care policy????

37 posted on 12/01/2007 7:31:41 AM PST by xtinct (I was the next door neighbor kid's imaginary friend.)
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To: jdm
I think we can all cast politics aside and simply thank God for a peaceful resolution to the crisis, by guiding the brave police and emergency personal who performed their duties excellently.

As far as Clinton's involvement, she's lost so much credibility that it's hard to emote any other reaction beyond "Yeah, right. Whatever..."

Now we can all go back and focus on important issues, like Clinton's involvement in disrupting the free political process concerning a Republican debate.

The CNN debate fiasco is quite possibly the biggest Democrat/Media scandal ever recorded in history.

This "hostage crisis", whether staged or not, cannot detract from the fact that the democrats and CNN attempted to hijack a debate and deprive all Americans of a due political process prior to a national election.

38 posted on 12/01/2007 7:32:23 AM PST by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: knarf
I think the CWM (Clinton war machine) got a useful idiot and orchestrated this entire 'event'.

I predict it will all disappear in a week, but the thought of HILLARY ! being (once again) a victim, and overcoming .. will have been planted in just a few more wavering minds.

Well, it's a stretch to think her minions orchestrated this. However, that's a good point about her being a victim. Her ratings always go up when she is seen as having been victimized by a man.

39 posted on 12/01/2007 7:33:04 AM PST by stillonaroll (Rudy = Hillary: pro-abortion, pro-gay, anti-gun)
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To: cajungirl

Law professor,blogger althouse (see above post) said that, too. To recap, she remains in Virginia, makes a few calls, emerges all pitzed up when it’s over and plays the emotional claptrap card that she was particularly concerned “as a mother”..

She’s a “mother” all right. And so is Sabato and the loony tunes at AP.


40 posted on 12/01/2007 7:34:00 AM PST by the Real fifi
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