The Clinton legacy

The carpetbagger report sums up the coverage of Hillary Clinton

Sometimes, you can see a meme coming, but you don’t quite know what to do about it. The meme is big and bad, and likely to do some harm, but there’s no real defense to soften the blow. I’m referring, of course, to the notion that Hillary Clinton is a serial exaggerator. We haven’t heard much about this, but I have a strong hunch it’ll soon be unavoidable. Consider the headlines from just the past few days. There’s this AP item from this morning about Clinton exaggerating her work in bringing peace to Northern Ireland…

”It’s crazy for Hillary to say she played a role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland…. She seems to be confusing her record with her husband’s,” said Robin Wilson, founder of a Northern Ireland think tank, Democratic Dialogue…and this item published in The Hill this morning about Clinton exaggerating her role in passing the Family and Medical Leave Act…The former congressman who shepherded the Family and Medical Leave Act through Congress sought Thursday to debunk Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) claim to the legislation, saying she “never had anything to do with it.”

Former Rep. William Lacy Clay, Sr. (D-Mo.) is circulating an email disputing Clinton’s claim that the law is one of her more meaningful domestic accomplishments.

…and this item in Newsweek about the ‘96 Bosnia trip…

Is it possible that Hillary Clinton really thought she risked her life disembarking from a plane and running for cover “under sniper fire” at the heavily fortified U.S. Air Force base at Tuzla? Clinton has been telling the story of her visit to Bosnia in 1996 for many years, gradually adding embellishment and changing details. Perhaps she may have actually come to believe it.

…and this item from the Boston Globe about Clinton and S-CHIP.

Hillary Clinton, who has frequently described herself on the campaign trail as playing a pivotal role in forging a children’s health insurance plan, had little to do with crafting the landmark legislation or ushering it through Congress, according to several lawmakers, staffers, and healthcare advocates involved in the issue. There seems to be a common thread here. In case this wasn’t awkward enough, the AP’s Ron Fournier, one of the more widely read and respected members of the media establishment, wrote a column about this the other day with a very unfriendly lede. Why wasn’t the truth good enough for Hillary Rodham Clinton? That’s a question worth considering as the former first lady tries to contain damage to her credibility after getting caught exaggerating the danger of her 1996 trip to Bosnia. […]

To be sure, Clinton is not the first American to pad a resume. She’s not even the only candidate for president to do so…. What makes Clinton’s situation unique — and the Bosnia embellishments so damaging — is the fact that the New York senator has built her candidacy on the illusion of experience. Any attack on her credentials is a potential Achilles heel. Complicating matters, Clinton’s claims about her work in Rwanda and Kosovo have also been subject to criticisms regarding possible exaggerations. I’m certain I’m not the first person to have noticed these examples and tie them together. The question is whether any of this will matter.

Al Gore didn’t have a record of exaggerations, but the media skewered him anyway. Rudy Giuliani had an actual record of exaggerations, but the media never picked up on it. It’s hard to know what kind of treatment Clinton is in for, but given the fact that there’s a “D” after her name, we can probably guess. I’m just not sure what the defense is going to be. The evidence suggests Clinton really has stretched the truth in some of her claims about her experience. With one or two examples, it’s embarrassing. With five or six, it’s starts to look like the kind of issue that might undermine her credibility and look like a general-election hindrance.

Hillary Clinton never really had to campaign before she ran for president. Her Senate runs were mostly uncontested, a seasoned politician probably would not have made the same mistakes that Hillary Clinton made. I think many people assumed the Hillary had Bill’s political skills she obviously does not. Now that the race seems almost over I find myself feeling sorry for Hillary, she was in over her head and it showed in many ways. If she had been anyone else she would have been forced to drop out after Iowa, but because of who she is and what she has met to the Democratic party people continued to give her financial support and encouragement. It was inevitable that someone with as little experience as Hillary Has, would eventually make a big mistake.

It seems like many people in the Democratic party are trying to figure out a way to give her a graceful exit, I hope she takes them up on the offer. If Hillary stays in the race until August one can only guess how bad the meme will get.