Say Anything Blog

Hillary Clinton is trying to burnish her thin foreign policy credentials by claiming she knew Benazir Bhutto (never mind that she didn't know Bhutto had three children and not two, and that Bhutto's father was executed and not assassinated). You can't blame her, Bhutto is what Hillary wishes she could be: a brave woman of actual accomplishment who achieved the pinnacle of power, and became a real hero to millions of women. Hillary too is a hero to millions of women . . . it is just much harder to see why as compared to Bhutto. Endless repititon of the meme that 'Hillary is a hero' seems to have done the trick.

Now Hillary has been caught fudging another item on her weak foreign policy resume. Trying to paint herself as another fearless and intrepid woman leader (just like Benazir Bhutto!) Hillary came up with a story about how Bill Clinton put her, Chelsea, Sinbad and Sheryl Crow in mortal danger by sending them to Bosnia, braving corkscrew landings and snipers in the process (can one surmise that this was a Bill Clinton plot to get rid of his wife? I bet Hillary's campaign didn't see that angle).

Via Ed Morrissey we find that this unlikely occurence of course probably didn't happen (quoting a commenter who has some personal experience here):

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. [ed. - You can say that again. The internet age is not proving friendly to the Clinton deceit machine.]

Is going serpentine really a plus for presidential candidates? It wasn't, until Benazir Bhutto got shot.

If personal bravery, and risking grave personal injury are big reasons to vote for a candidate, well, I guess Hillary is going to vote for John McCain then isn't she.

P.S. I just have to say, in my darkest of dark hearts, I thought 'if she wants to be Bhutto, let her end up the same way. That would probably suit Hillary, for her 'legacy' would be ensured'. I know some of you thought the same thing . . . put it out of your mind. That is banana republic thinking right there, it is unAmerican.

Crossposted from Ken McCracken