Posted on 08/12/2003 8:10:28 AM PDT by tgslTakoma
By the time Delbra Washington of West Palm Beach, Fla., left the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Buckhead on Monday morning, proudly waving two autographed copies of Hillary Clinton's "Living History," the autograph line snaked around the parking lot.
Washington had arrived about 9 the night before to claim her place at the head of the line to see the former first lady and current U.S. senator from New York.
Right behind her were Denise Boesel of Atlanta and her 8-year-old daughter Maya, who lives in Munich, Germany, and is here for a visit with her mother.
"She got through some very difficult times, and I can certainly appreciate that," Boesel said about Clinton.
Store officials didn't give estimates of the size of the crowd, but it did not appear to be as large as those at book-signings in recent years for Secretary of State Colin Powell and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
Those events were on weekends, however, and several hundred people were on hand Monday morning. So far, "Living History" has sold 1.2 million copies.
Just as she can inspire her admirers to wait all night to get their book signed, Clinton still provokes enough conservative ire, almost three years after leaving the White House, to get Jim Riticher to put on a devil's costume on a hot day to stand in protest with a sign that read "I Sold My Soul to Hillary."
Boesel and her daughter had camped out in lawn chairs overnight because Clinton was "a great role model" for women.
Most of the people in line gave the same reason for being there. "She embodies the strength and drive that most of the women in my life have shown," said Lou Miller, a pastry chef.
"I admire her for standing by her man and just going forward," said Michelle Woodson Alexander, a hair stylist from San Francisco in town for the Bronner hair show.
Like Washington, who works for an airline, Alexander heard about the signing after she got to Atlanta. But Evonne Fell flew in from Virginia, and Mary Davis drove from Beltsville, Md., just for the signing.
"I left my 'better half' home. He's a Republican," Davis said.
Most of those questioned said they had not skipped ahead to that part of the book that deal's with Clinton's reaction to her husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky.
"I don't care about that," said Sally Smith of Atlanta. The most interesting part of the book, Smith said, was "what they had to go through after they got into office."
Many of those who came to see Clinton said they would vote for her if she ever runs for president. "Most definitely," Washington said. "And I believe she's going to run."
Keenum Thomas, an Atlanta accountant, sported a John Kerry button, but, like nearly all those waiting with their books, he said he would gladly vote for Clinton later on.
But those shouting catcalls at the Hillary fans had a different opinion.
"I'd crawl over broken glass to vote against her," said opponent Riticher, in the devil's costume and part of a group of eight protesters who organized themselves on an Internet conservative news group.
But as he looked across the parking lot at the line, Riticher acknowledged his concern that Clinton, who was also in town for a private fund-raiser, could be a candidate, even as early as next year.
"We want to put out the message that there's a lot of history she doesn't want us to know about," he said.
Clinton arrived for the signing to the cheers of those waiting, stood for pictures from the press -- without taking any questions -- and sat down to the business of signing books.
Toward the end of the signing, she paused to greet Valerie Jackson, widow of the late Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson. Former President Bill Clinton had spoken at Jackson's funeral in June.
The two women exchanged a few words, and Clinton asked an aide to arrange a time for an interview on Valerie Jackson's radio show.
I will never understand why anyone would sleep in a lawn chair over night to get a stupid book signed ..
Thanks for the article .. The Devil Guy is EVERY WHERE
Most the women in his life have been sociopathic power-mad egocentric megalomaniacal murdering psychopaths? *shudder* I think I'd rather trust Krispy Kreme than anything he cooks.
Yikes!
Giving other devils their due: Just another Joe and his daughter for their super Kansas City FReep (click here).
Great find and post by you, tgslTakoma! I take it that you're back at your high-speed internet undisclosed location having left your modem-only undisclosed location.
One last thing I just remembered... I was a devil for one of the FReeps, too - at White Marsh, MD. How could I forget that?
You've been busy around here, BillF.
The devil is in the details.
Definitly the "better half" stayed home.
In other words, Hillary! is a "great role model" for a woman who was a lousy enough parent not to get custody of a daughter -- and you know how bad that has to be.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Ah yes, not a very manly trade now, then, is it?
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
I missed that one, please give details
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