An Editorial (3-26-08)

[H2O Man]

(Note: This is an editorial from the Binghamton, NY Press&Sun-Bulletin.)

".....Dramatic. Thrilling. Tense.

"And utterly false.

"The record -- written and visual -- clearly shows Clinton was not under fire, sniper or otherwise, upon her arrival. She was greeted by the country's acting president and an 8-year-old girl. And she was accompanied by her daughter, Chelsea, whom she presumably would never expose to sniper fire.

"Spokesman Howard Wolfson, attempting damage control, explained, "The facts are clear from contemporaneous news accounts that she was entering a potentially dangerous situation (in 1996). ... Now it is possible that in the most recent instance in which she discussed this, she misspoke with regards to the exit from the plane."

"No, it isn't possible she misspoke. And she didn't have a memory lapse. She fluffed and twisted truth into lie. ...."

more at:
http://pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080326/OPINION/803260313/1005/OPINION

(This is from a paper that has backed Senator Clinton in the past.)

[H2O Man]

1. And another .....

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/clinton-misspoke-over-claims-of-sniper-fire-in-visit-to-bosnia-800606.html


Clinton 'misspoke' over claims of sniper fire in visit to Bosnia

By David Usborne in New York

Hillary Clinton has been struggling to downplay suggestions that she deliberately tried to exaggerate the role she played in world events in her years as first lady after admitting she "misspoke" in a recent description of a 1996 trip to Bosnia by claiming she landed amid sniper fire.


The trap was set by Mrs Clinton herself 10 days ago when she gave a foreign policy speech designed to demonstrate she is more battle-ready to be commander-in-chief on "day one" than her less experienced rival, Barack Obama.

Her recollection of her landing near Tuzla was nothing if not vivid. "I remember landing under sniper fire," she said. "There was supposed to be some kind of greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

However, CBS News has aired footage showing her calmly alighting from her military aircraft and indeed participating in an arrival ceremony. Nobody who was present that day has any memory of imminent danger or sniper fire.

The controversy has arisen as Mrs Clinton travels through Pennsylvania to bolster support ahead of its primary in four weeks' time. It has eclipsed coverage of her scheduled appearances and threatened to undercut her foreign policy experience message. .....

[H2O Man]

2. 1000+

A google search shows that over a thousand newspapers/sources have an article on Senator Clinton's fib.

[SunsetDreams]

3. yep it's gone viral too...

It was completely dishonest, and undermines her credibility in a bad way.

[H2O Man]

4. It is interesting

to look at the way the story is being presented to the general public.

I think it is important to remember that in politics, there are always three groups: (a) those who always support you; (b) those who always oppose you; and (c) those who are undecided. At this point, the contest is in the democratic primary, and that is what we should be focused upon. However, while Senator Clinton cannot "win" the nomination, she is trying to steal it, which means that we should also be aware of how this "fib" would play in a general election.

Those democrats who use the internet as a source of information tend to have already made a decision regarding who they support -- Clinton or Obama -- in the primary. It is possible that the people who support Clinton, but are not entirely in her camp, will find the internet film clips and discussions cause to re-think their decision to support her. There is no reason to believe anyone in Group B will change their minds, and decide to support Clinton because they are favorably impressed with her lying. But the internet buzz may well energize Group B members, to work harder for the Obama campaign.

The "middle Americans" in Group C tend to get their information from the TV (netywork and cable news), plus the daily newspapers. For a variety of reasons, they view the corporate media sources as more reliable than the internet. The Clinton campaign has targeted Group C with images of the 3 am phone call and Rev. Wright in the last couple of weeks. Those visual images were reinforced with discussions, both on TV and in the newspapers. No matter if one is in Group A or Group B, the potential for such reinforced visual images to influence Group C has to be appreciated.

The fact that the Clinton lies about the incident includes the stark differences between Clinton's fibbing, and the actual film at the airport, is extremely important. Add to that the on-going discussions, on the network and cable news, and in so many newspapers, and it is reinforced in the minds of Group C. As a result, it undermines the 3 am commercial, and hurts Clinton when she tries to focus more attention on Rev. Wright.

Group A will continue to rally around Clinton, and pretend that her lying is really of no significance. They will resort to the weak "but everyone lies in politics" and the weaker "Obama is the real liar." But this does not help their candidate, because it does not play well with Group C.

[mmonk]

6. Nice summation.

I agree with it. This one is diificult for them to spin with all the visual evidence.

[H2O Man]

8. Visual images

are powerful. And things like her attempt to place responsibility on those who don't view her as human, or Howard Wolfson's attempt to blame Obama for Hillary's lying, only reinforce the image of a candidate who will not allow a little thing like the truth to get in her way.

[rosesaylavee]

5. I think she's done.

Why can't she see it too? The math is against her, her party is not happy with her, her team has been in disarray since February, her husband has become a liability, and now this.

[H2O Man]

7. In my opinion,

Senator Clinton recognized by late February that she could not "win" the nomination by following the rules. I do not think she is attempting to win the nomination any more. Instead, it appears that she is attempting to either: (1) force the party to break the rules and pick her; or (2) damage Obama and divide the party to such an extent that McCain wins, thus creating a 2012 option for another Clinton run for the White House.

[babylonsister]

13. Doesn't either option make you just a bit nauseous, H20 Man?

I am appalled that the Dem leadership is allowing this to happen. She needs a good talking to by someone. Both Clintons do.

[H2O Man]

15. I think that

the events of the past month provide evidence that there are several groups in a serious struggle for the mantle of leadership in the party. And there are very different influences behind those groups. A willingness to ignore the rules, to deny the will of the voters, and to damage the party raises concerns about Senator Clinton.

[blogslut]

9. "Misspoke"

I hate that word. It is a weasel word.

[H2O Man]

11. It sounds

like the sibling of "mis-remembered," Scooter's attempt to justify his lying. His "mis-remembering" resulted in his becoming a convicted felon. "Weasal words" matter.

[mod mom]

10. There is no way your memory fails you on an situation that she described. It is

amazing that knowing how many others were present at the time, she would risk having the lie exposed. Sometimes I believe she is speaking to a % of devotees who will believe anything despite the facts. It is very reminiscent of another who was willing to put aside ethics to gain control of the WH. Why would she sabotage her reputation?

If I were Senator Clinton, I would start worrying about keeping control of my senate seat.

[Me.]

14. It's Pretty Hard To Remember Something That Never Happened

And if she is doing that, the last place she should be is in the WH.

[H2O Man]

16. Exactly.

Human beings tend to forget things. Our brain is not designed to keep every memory in place for instant recall. However, that is distinct from claiming to remember something that didn't happen.

[Me.]

18. As Discussed In Your Thread Yesterday

Scooter remembering a conversation with Russert that never happened was a big factor in getting him convicted

[H2O Man]

19. Right.

In a criminal trial, the three groups are represented. Scooter's Group A was the defense team; Group B was the prosecution; and Group C was the judge and jury. And Group C recognized that "mis-remembered" was code for "lying." The people who started as "undecided" determined that Scooter was an absolute liar, and the result is that he is a convcted felon.

[shadowknows69]

12. Upstate NY represent!

[ms liberty]

17. The image that causes the most damage...

In my opinion, the part of the video that is the most damaging is the small sequence where she and Chelsea stroll across the tarmac. I use stroll not as a pejorative term, but as descriptive of their pace and demeanour in the clip. Chelsea is smiling and relaxed, and is walking a short distance away from Sen. Clinton. Sen. Clinton does not appear concerned that Chelsea is not staying near the group. None of the people in the clip exhibit behavior associated with a heightened security situation.
I have always thought Chelsea Clinton was an example of the essential goodness of both her parents. They have done a fine job in raising her. She's smart, mature, thoughtful, and you don't see her making an idiot of herself, getting in trouble. If they were horrible people she wouldn't be the well-balanced young woman she seems to be. Bill and Hillary love that child and want only the best for her, of this I have no doubt.
With that said, IMHO, Hillary Clinton would never have taken her only child into an area where she would be in that kind of danger. No loving, responsible parent would.
I think a lot of people who are seeing this video - and I mean average America which is not DU, lol! - will see that part of the image and it will connect with them as a visual "proof" that she was untruthful. Peoples opinions of why she was untruthful will vary depending upon their preconceived opinions of Sen. Clinton, but the result will be the same.

[Scurrilous]

20. K & R

:thumbsup: