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Clinton calm in hostage crisis [BARF ALERT - It's started]
AP via Yahoo ^ | 12/1/07 | GLEN JOHNSON

Posted on 12/01/2007 8:56:35 AM PST by ElkGroveDan

When the hostages had been released and their alleged captor arrested, a regal-looking Hillary Rodham Clinton strolled out of her Washington home, the picture of calm in the face of crisis.

The image, broadcast just as the network news began, conveyed the message a thousand town hall meetings and campaign commercials strive for — namely, that the Democratic presidential contender can face disorder in a most orderly manner.

"I am very grateful that this difficult day has ended so well," she declared as she stood alone at the microphone.

Little more than three hours later, just in time for the 11 p.m. local news, Clinton reaffirmed that perspective. In New Hampshire, she embraced her staffers and their families, and lauded the law enforcement officials who brought a siege at her local campaign headquarters to a peaceful conclusion.

It was a vintage example of a candidate taking a negative and turning it into a positive. And coming just six weeks before the presidential voting begins, the timing could hardly have been more beneficial to someone hoping to stave off a loss in the Iowa caucuses and secure a win in the New Hampshire primary.

Aides said Clinton was home Friday afternoon, getting ready to deliver a partisan speech in Virginia to the Democratic National Committee, when she was told three workers in her Rochester, N.H., headquarters had been taken hostage by a man claiming to have a bomb.

Police later arrested 47-year-old Leeland Eisenberg of Somersworth, N.H., and charged him with kidnapping and reckless conduct. They said he walked into the office, demanding to speak to Clinton and complaining about inadequate access to mental care.

The aides said Clinton immediately canceled her trip and began working the phones. She later told reporters she had New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a fellow Democrat, on the phone in eight minutes.

Over the ensuing five hours, as a state trooper negotiated with the suspect and hostages were released one-by-one, Clinton continued to call up and down the law enforcement food chain, from local to county to state to federal officials.

"I knew I was bugging a lot of these people, it felt like on a minute-by-minute basis, trying to make sure that I knew everything that was going on so I was in a position to tell the families, to tell my campaign and to be available to do anything that they asked of me," the New York senator said.

At the same time, the woman striving to move from former first lady to the first female president was eager to convey that she knew the traditional lines of command and control in a crisis, even if the events inside the storefront on North Main Street were far short of a world calamity.

"They were the professionals, they were in charge of this situation, whatever they asked me or my campaign to do is what we would do," Clinton said.

Along with taking charge while giving the professionals free rein, Clinton offered up a third dimension to her crisis character: humanity. She said she felt "grave concern" when she first heard the news of the hostage-taking.

"It affected me not only because they were my staff members and volunteers, but as a mother, it was just a horrible sense of bewilderment, confusion, outrage, frustration, anger, everything at the same time," Clinton said.

It was a thawing moment for a stoic figure who once snapped that she opted for professional life instead of staying home to bake cookies.

She buttressed it with one final message. Clinton sought to use the sad moment as a national teaching opportunity, another skill often employed by presidents.

She paid tribute to the thousands of believers who set aside their lives every four years so they can propel presidential campaigns on little more than blood, sweat and tears.

"They believe in our future. They work around the clock. They are so committed to their cause, and I just want to commend every one of them from every campaign who really makes what is a sacrifice and a commitment," Clinton said. "A lot of them postpone school, leave their families, move across the country, and I'm so grateful for them every single day, and I'm especially just relieved to have this situation end so peacefully without anyone being injured.

Class dismissed.

___


TOPICS: Extended News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008electionbias; 2008willbetoolate; badseed; clintonterm3; dianerodham; dnctalkingpoints; eisenberg; goebbleslivesagain; herheinousness; hildebeast; hillary; hitlery; nh2008; photoops; queenofschemes; saveamerica; stophillary; zogbyism
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To: ElkGroveDan

Like she had anything to do with handling this crisis. This reminds me of the Holiday Inn Express commercials ...I solved the hostage crisis ...are you a hostage negotiator? ....no I stayed at Holiday Inn.


121 posted on 12/01/2007 11:41:41 AM PST by The Great RJ ("Mir we bleiwen wat mir sin" or "We want to remain what we are." ..Luxembourg motto)
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To: The Great RJ
I'm truly disappointed. I was hoping for a more traditional clinton hostage rescue...


122 posted on 12/01/2007 11:56:26 AM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: casino66
I noticed that Hillary Clinton "media matters" quoted my post but of course out of context. I responded to a post saying that there are reports that this event may have happened next to the Clinton campaign building and not inside it, which prompt me to believe that someone in her nasty political machine will be spreading rumors that it occured in her building to generate sympathy to the most unlikeable and meanest person to ever run for President, the media report was wrong, but I have no doubt that Hillary Clinton and her nasty political machine will work very hard in making this meaningless "crisis" done by a lunatic with flares aroud his chest as if it was the worst crisis since 9/11 and Hillary Clinton emerged as the greatest leader in time of crisis.

Here is my comment on yesterday thread pertaining to this issue:

To: roses of sharon

Someone in Hillary Clinton campaign spread the lie that this happened in her campaign office thinking that this will generate sympathy to the most unlikeable and meanest Presidential candidate in modern time.

219 posted on 11/30/2007 11:02:45 AM PST by jveritas (God bless our brave troops and President Bush)

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My post above was a response to this:

To: Jersey Republican Biker Chick

Fox say may be NEAR her office, not in it.

188 posted on 11/30/2007 10:58:03 AM PST by roses of sharon

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123 posted on 12/01/2007 11:57:15 AM PST by jveritas (God bless our brave troops and President Bush)
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To: ElkGroveDan
Over the ensuing five hours, as a state trooper negotiated with the suspect and hostages were released one-by-one, Clinton continued to call up and down the law enforcement food chain, from local to county to state to federal officials.

Oh no! Another Jimmy Carter who can't delegate and let people do their jobs without interference, who feels they must micromanage every little thing.

124 posted on 12/01/2007 11:58:04 AM PST by FreedomCalls (Texas: "We close at five.")
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To: ElkGroveDan
She remained calm? She will meet with the families of the hostages? Well, this changes everything. I'm voting for her now.

She remained calm after Vince was found, too...

125 posted on 12/01/2007 11:58:25 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: Cymbaline
"a regal-looking Hillary Rodham Clinton strolled out of her Washington home, the picture of calm in the face of crisis"

But the media isn't biased.


126 posted on 12/01/2007 12:04:03 PM PST by weegee (End the Bush-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton-Clinton/Clinton-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton Oligarchy 1980-2012)
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To: weegee; Brucifer; uamadan

You can be calm in a crisis too...
Try Oxy-Clinton today!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRrIni6V7VM


127 posted on 12/01/2007 12:09:39 PM PST by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: Ole Okie
is it possible this was a staged event? - anything developing to suggest it was? - did the guy suddenly have $5K show in a bank account? -

the Clintons are such masters of deceit and dirty tricks I hate to admit that is the very first thing that crossed my mind when I heard the report.

that’s not me - that is, except when the Clintons are involved.

128 posted on 12/01/2007 12:11:15 PM PST by elpadre
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To: ElkGroveDan
a regal-looking Hillary Rodham Clinton strolled out of her Washington home, the picture of calm in the face of crisis.

What a sickening, fawning reporter this guy must be. Can she do anything without staging it? Never mind, I know she can't.

129 posted on 12/01/2007 12:16:56 PM PST by Reagan is King (Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave.)
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To: casino66
Will Media Matters be sure to give equal time to the Democrat Undergound bile spit at Henry Hyde on the occasion of his death?

DUmmie FUnnies 11-30-07 (Hyde died. DUmmies cried--for joy!)

130 posted on 12/01/2007 12:19:57 PM PST by weegee (End the Bush-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton-Clinton/Clinton-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton Oligarchy 1980-2012)
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To: elpadre

We KNOW that certain people have opted to go to prison for the Clintons rather than tell what they know.

And we know that the Clintons can be generous with pardons when the time is right.

What we should all walk away from this with is dangerous individuals support Hillary and watch and respect CNN.


131 posted on 12/01/2007 12:21:48 PM PST by weegee (End the Bush-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton-Clinton/Clinton-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton Oligarchy 1980-2012)
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To: ElkGroveDan

I like BAR ALERTS—esp. on Saturday afternoon!


132 posted on 12/01/2007 12:25:53 PM PST by Palladin ("I love the smell of chlorophyll in the morning." -- Hillary)
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To: Excuse_My_Bellicosity

Helooo ladies! Do you stay at the Courtyard Inn often?


133 posted on 12/01/2007 12:29:53 PM PST by Wally_Kalbacken (Seldom right but never in doubt)
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To: ElkGroveDan
a regal-looking Hillary Rodham Clinton


134 posted on 12/01/2007 12:32:02 PM PST by steve-b (Sin lies only in hurting others unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. --RAH)
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To: weegee

Who owns CNN now? Is it the Saudis?


135 posted on 12/01/2007 12:40:16 PM PST by Palladin ("I love the smell of chlorophyll in the morning." -- Hillary)
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To: ElkGroveDan
Regal



With a personality to match.

136 posted on 12/01/2007 12:40:33 PM PST by BIGLOOK (Keelhauling is a sensible solution to mutiny.)
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To: Palladin

I don’t know but the hostage taker had several of CNN’s phone numbers and communicated with them during the seige.


137 posted on 12/01/2007 12:44:03 PM PST by weegee (End the Bush-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton-Clinton/Clinton-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton Oligarchy 1980-2012)
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To: ElkGroveDan
Lord Jesus, please save us from this evil, conniving Jezebel...
138 posted on 12/01/2007 1:43:49 PM PST by Gritty (Hillary is a study in over-manicured bitchiness.This is a feminist with a chrome soul.-Norm Liebmann)
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To: Verginius Rufus

Yeah.

“I want to talk to Hillary”

“Hello? This is the HRC Public Information.... I mean... CNN.
How can we help you?”


139 posted on 12/01/2007 1:47:36 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (- Attention all planets of the solar Federation--Secret plan codeword: Banana)
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To: Palladin

I’ve been begging them to fix it, but apparently I am being left to twist in the wind.


140 posted on 12/01/2007 1:51:44 PM PST by ElkGroveDan (If Rudy's an influential conservative, then I'm an award winning concert pianist.)
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