Posted on 12/31/2007 11:11:15 PM PST by jdm
For those who remember when Geraldo Rivera did actual investigative journalism, his excellent work would often get marred by his shameless self-promotion. On more than one occasion, he would interject in his reports that his life was actually in danger while investigating mostly mundane controversies. Hillary Clinton seems to have discovered her inner Geraldo in claiming that she handled all of the dangerous diplomatic missions in the Clinton administration:
Ever since Barack Obama suggested Hillary Clinton's eight years as first lady were a glorified tea party a few days back, she's looked for an opening to strike back.
On Saturday night in Dubuque she pounced, arguing she risked her life on White House missions in the 1990s, including a hair-raising flight into Bosnia that ended in a "corkscrew" landing and a sprint off the tarmac to dodge snipers. ...
It turns out that Clinton wasn't quite flying solo into harm's way that day.
She was, in fact, leading a goodwill entourage that included baggy-pants funnyman Sinbad, singer Sheryl Crow and Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, then 15, according to an account of the March 1995 trip in her autobiography "Living History."
In this appearance, Hillary insists that the guidelines in the White House were that any mission that carried danger should go to her, apparently rather than her husband. If that's true, it may say something about how Bill viewed her at the time, but this sounds more like another Clintonian affectation. If the mission carried that much danger, why would she have taken 15-year-old Chelsea along? Why would she have taken Sheryl Crow and Sinbad into a dangerous situation, where snipers would shoot down their airplane?
This absurdity demonstrates the larger absurdity of Hillary claiming her status as a First Lady as relevant experience for the presidency. No one knowingly sends spouses into harm's way, and they certainly don't send children into a shooting zone. The US usually doesn't send Presidents there, either; that's why we have a foreign service. Ambassadors and consular officials, trained to deal with these situations, usually get dispatched under heavy guard for diplomacy in regions such as these.
When a candidate reaches Geraldo levels of credibility, even the most impressive resume will eventually get discredited. Hillary keeps reminding us that she doesn't have the experience for the job, and she doesn't have the credibility to fool us into thinking she does. (via Dean Barnett at the Weekly Standard)
UPDATE and BUMP: CapQ commenter Jonathan Sabin questions whether this happened at all (UPDATE II: Jonathan himself has more at this link):
I was part of Task Force Eagle in Bosnia during that time. I was part of then MG William Nash, 1st Armored Division, security detail. I take two issues with her statement. First and most blatantly checkable, was the year she states. She's a year off. It was actually March 1996. We didn't go into Bosnia until after the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords, which was in the Fall of 1995, (November, I think). I remember it because it ruined Christmas for just about the entire 2nd Brigade, 1st AD, in Baumholder Germany. Then President Clinton actually came to Baumholder right before Christmas to make a speech. It should be easily checkable.
Secondly, she landed at Eagle Base in Tuzla, Bosnia in a C-17. At that time, it was the most secure location in country, being an old Russian MIG base. The compound was very well fortified and snipers weren't an issue for us. They never were during the entire mission, except maybe in Sarajevo. Our biggest issue was landmines, again, not an issue at Eagle Base as it had been very well cleared.
Shameless self promotion is just stupid when things like that are so easily verifiable.
It should be easily checked -- and we have a couple of reports on trips taken to Bosnia by Hillary. One, from December 1997, shows her landing at Tuzla but with Bill and Chelsea along with Bob and Elizabeth Dole, not on her own at all. Tuzla gets criticized in the article as unrepresentative of the mission, with one serviceman calling it "Disneyland":
Some soldiers said that in visiting Eagle Base, Mr. Clinton was not getting a true picture of life in the field, where troops must shut off their kerosene heaters on even the coldest nights for fear of starting a fire.
''This right here is Disneyland,'' said Pfc. Jimmy Marcom, a 20-year-old from Dallas, as he cast a wistful eye around Club 21, with its clean concrete floor, its walls covered with camouflage netting and holiday greetings, and its wooden cutout of Santa and his sleigh. ''I would love to be in this base camp.''
The Times also has a short blurb on a trip that Hillary took to Tuzla in March 1996. Undoubtedly, this is the trip that Hillary referenced, and a subsequent report by the Times makes no mention of corkscrew approaches or potential sniper fire:
Hillary Rodham Clinton charmed American troops at a U.S.O. show here, but it didn't hurt that the singer Sheryl Crow and the comedian Sinbad were also on the stage.
In her appearance at Tuzla Air Base, the First Lady told a couple of thousand of the 19,300 Americans serving in Bosnia that they were using military power to advance United States interests and values. She said they were part of "the kind of peacekeeping mission every American should be proud of and support."
Not only did she fly in and out of Tuzla, a camp called a comparative Disneyland, the camp was secure enough to stage the USO show there. She also took Chelsea on a walking tour at Camp Alicia, located on the DMZ between the Bosnians and the Bosnian Serbs, with a coterie of journalists in tow. None of them reported it being fraught with danger either. If it had been dangerous, one would have questioned Chelsea's presence on the tour.
It looks like Hillary has stretched the truth considerably with this little yarn.
I heard Kerry was in Cambodia, too. Haven’t they learned their lesson?
Was Martin Luther King there, too? And does Hillary have a theology degree?
What these pols won’t try to get away with next.
It is reporting like this that will prevent (I hope!) Senator Clinton from becoming POTUS.
Back in the bad old nineties she could get away with blatant lies like this as there was no easy, quick way of verification.
Now that we have the New Media, instant communication and the vast resources of the Internet, Senator Clinton and her minions are learning that much of the old “Clinton machine” just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Thank goodness.
Poor Bill—he’s not only no longer the most politically-powerful Clinton, he’s also no longer the biggest liar in the family anymore.
Bill never was the biggest liar in the family!
We all know her to be one of the most shameless liars of our time but for her to even suggest she this is ludicrous. If ANYone took risk it was Secret Service, Police and Military detail who had the sorry misfortune to have been assigned in either advance team, primary or secondary roles.
Hillary went on these trips in arrogant fashion without even a HINT of notice to all that was done on her behalf for her comfort let alone even the slightest understanding of what is involved with her safety which is WHY the POTUS and the FLOTUS have very little to fear...more so FLOTUS.
Yes, there is danger to her life, but it is mitigated and she knows it. She acts as if she deserves a medal for her “Diplomatic” SHOPPING TRIPS she took where she seems to claim Bill was TOO SCARED to go.
The more she speaks the more I completely resent her. I pray for her POLITICAL destruction. And after she loses this I pray she loses in New York.
William Safire succinctly hit the proverbial nail squarely on the head when he called Hillary Clinton a congenital liar back in January of 1996.
Something about a leopard and her spots comes to mind here.
Well, who can say? It’s like choosing the hungriest hippo of the herd.
I am shocked, absolutely shocked, that the Hildebeast may be lying about her trip into danger. (Note: sarcasm tag is on full alert!)
Bob Becktol, frequent Dem commentator on Fox&Friends, this morning chuckled when asked about Hillary tail of woe. He said basically that even he would have trouble defending her on that ridiculous story.
Reminds me of the time I was flying a Spitfire over London trying to protect my wingman from a swarm of Me-109’s. Oh, wait, that was this morning playing “Blazing Angles” on my Wii.
Where did you get that picture of Chelsy, I swear when she fell out of the ugly tree, she hit every branch on the way down.
The dictum around the Oval Office in the '90s, she added, was: "If a place was too dangerous, too poor or too small, send the first lady."
Enough to make Walter Mitty and Cliff Clavin wince.
I’m a registered Democrat who often has conservative views. I also am a 40 year resident of NYC. I come to this site to get other points-of-view as opposed to some other sites I go to. That being said, I implore all of you to do whatever you can to keep this horrible woman out of the White House along with her awful husband. The two of them trashed the White House and will do the same to the country if she is elected. Let’s bring to a quick end the dynasties of Bush and Clinton. We need more honest candidates like Paul and Kucinich (sp?). But alas, that’s just a pipe dream. The establishment elite will bring on the next corporate owned and paid for candidate and propel him or her into office.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.