Handy Guide to Hillary Clinton's Bosnian Lie: The Faux Heroine of Tuzla

[zulchzulu]

Hillary, The Faux Heroine of Tuzla



On March 17, 2008, Hillary Clinton said she "misspoke" when she repeated a harrowing description of her arrival in Bosnia 12 years ago, recounting a landing under sniper fire and that her group "ran with our heads down" from the plane to avoid sniper fire at the Tuzla Air Base.

She had actually repeated this story several times on the stump while campaigning in 2007 in Iowa and in prepared statements that can be found on her web site:

I certainly do remember that trip to Bosnia, and as Togo said, there was a saying around the White House that if a place was too small, too poor, or too dangerous, the president couldn't go, so send the First Lady. That’s where we went.

I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/speech/view/?id=6553

CBS exposes Hillary Clinton's lie in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BfNqhV5hg4

Another video analyzes the "story":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOsGo_HWP-c

In another incident, Hillary Clinton repeated the lie:

“I certainly do remember that trip to Bosnia,” she said last week. “There was a saying around the White House that if a place was too small, too poor, or too dangerous, the president couldn’t go, so send the First Lady.

“I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.”

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB97_FMYVC4

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/clinton-misspoke-about-bosnia-trip-campaign-says/

Looking for any kind of excuse, Howard Wolfson pulled this comment from his usual location:

“It is possible in the most recent instance in which she discussed this that she misspoke in regard to the exit from the plane, but there is no question if you look at contemporaneous accounts that she was going to a potential combat zone, that she was on the front lines.”

- Howard Wolfson, Clinton spokesman

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/clinton-misspoke-about-bosnia-trip-campaign-says/

It wasn't the first time Hillary Clinton had a "misstatement" episode. She made mention of it when campaigning in Texas when she was rolling out the "3AM ad":

At the rally, she belittled the idea that Mr. Obama’s 2002 speech “at an antiwar rally” prepared him to serve as commander in chief. She said he was “missing in action” on the recent Senate vote on Iran and as chairman of a subcommittee responsible for NATO policy in Afghanistan.

Contrasting that with her own experience, she evoked foreign battlefields, recalling a trip to Bosnia as first lady, when the welcoming ceremony “had to be moved inside because of sniper fire.” She said she had traveled to more than 80 countries and was “on the front lines” as the United States made peace in Bosnia and Northern Ireland and helped save refugees from ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. She has served on the Armed Services Committee for five years and was also part of a Pentagon committee to plan for the military of the future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/us/politics/01campaign.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

She had brought up the lie when campaigning in Iowa in 2007:

Hillary on the stump in Iowa, 2007:
"We used to say in the White House that if a place is too dangerous, too small or too poor, send the First Lady."

Her most dangerous experience, by her own admission, was when she touched down in Tuzla Airport, Bosnia, in March, 1996 with comedian Sinbad, in tow. Hillary, using the vocabulary of a general, has frequently remarked on that turbulent C17 arrival, landing under enemy sniper fire, that befits the battle-hardened prestige of someone aspiring to to be our next commander-in-chief.

http://wizbangblue.com/2008/03/22/hillarys-bosnia-trip-under-sniper-fire.php

Other people were on that trip such as the comedian Sinbad, who chimed in:

Sinbad, along with singer Sheryl Crow, was on that 1996 trip to Bosnia that Clinton has described as a harrowing international experience that makes her tested and ready to answer a 3 a.m. phone call at the White House on day one, a claim for which she's taking much grief on the campaign trail.

Harrowing? Not that Sinbad recalls. He just remembers it being a USO tour to buck up the troops amid a much worse situation than he had imagined between the Bosnians and Serbs.

In an interview with the Sleuth Monday, he said the "scariest" part of the trip was wondering where he'd eat next. "I think the only 'red-phone' moment was: 'Do we eat here or at the next place.'"

Sinbad added: "“What kind of president would say ‘Hey man, I can’t go ’cause I might get shot so I’m going to send my wife. Oh, and take a guitar player and a comedian with you.”

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/03/sinbad_unloads_on_hillary_clin.html

Who else is upset by Hillary Clinton's Tuzla lie? Ask the girl that Hillary kissed and gave flowers to, apparently under sniper fire:

The Bosnian girl who famously read a poem to Hillary Rodham Clinton during her 1996 visit to the war-torn country is shocked - and her countrymen infuriated - that the former first lady claimed to have dodged sniper fire that day.

Emina Bicakcic, now 20 and studying to become a doctor, told The Post she stood on the tarmac at the air base in Tuzla, greeted Clinton and even had time to share the lines of verse she’d written - all without fear of attack from an unseen enemy.

“I was surprised when I heard this,” Bicakcic said, referring to Clinton’s assertion that she braved snipers upon landing, ducking and sprinting to military vehicles.

Other Bosnians said they had one of two reactions to Clinton’s debunked action-hero account of her visit: laughter or anger.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03312008/news/worldnews/from_bad_to_verse_for_hill_104288.htm

Other Bosnians let their feelings be known:

Sema Markovic, 22, student: "It is an ugly thing for a politician to tell lies. We had problems for years, and I don't like when someone lies about them. It makes us look bad."

29-year-old Midhat Efendira: "It was a horrible lie."

Sead Numanovic, deputy editor-in-chief of Bosnia's largest newspaper: "We don't have space for someone's lies. Why is she so stupid?"

http://gawker.com/374052/bosnians-on-hil-we-cant-stanza

More video links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMu9x8M1jp0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pef5AUt-tic

A spoof video on the event and story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHVEDq6RVXc

An absolute skewering of the event by C. Hitchens:
http://www.slate.com/id/2187780/

[BuyingThyme]

1. Were there actually any hills within sniper range of that airport?

Looks like flatlands.

[zulchzulu]

2. What's odd is that Hillary thinks the military would LET a First Lady and her daughter there

That is the ultimate betrayal of truth and perhaps even understanding the VERY NATURE of our military. Would the US military fly a First Lady and her daughter into a war zone where she could get picked off by a sniper so they could read a poem by some kid on a runway?

Besides being just one of many examples of Hillary Clinton's pathological lying, this event SCREAMS that this person just doesn't get it or is so self-absorbed in her bullshit that she can't even see how the potential danger that the military would bestow on the First Lady is even possible or tactically approved?

It would have been one of the most memorable events in television history if Hillary Clinton and her daughter were dodging sniper fire and bombs and ducking and running across an airport runway. Then the fallout from whoever the dumbest commander in the World would allow such an event to happen on his watch.

This event by Hillary Clinton is clearly the greatest gift the Republicans could ever have if she was to be the nominee, which she won't be.

[marshall]

3. Didn't Hillary joke that it was too dangerous for the President to fly in

So they sent his wife and daughter as the next best thing? That just doesn't make sense to me.

[zulchzulu]

4. Again, that was just absolutely delusional beyond any boasting could be

She has repeated that little gem a number of times. It is confoundingly bizarre.

I wonder where Wesley Clark is on all this...

[Texas Hill Country]

73. actually, there is footage of a CBS reporter saying that exact thing from that time

i dont know why that isnt showing up in the media...

blackhawk, no greeting party, evasive landing, reporter says president not allowed there... all sorts of things.


oh, and Wes Clark still supports her strongly. Thanks.

[zulchzulu]

87. So there is footage of a CBS reporter witnessing sniper fire at the exact same time?

That's is amazing.

I've always wondered about alternating levels of reality in the same physical time that people shackled up in insane asylums have told their bemused therapists. A link to this video would be just fascinating to watch.

:crazy:

[BearSquirrel2]

43. If you were Bill ...

I could understand why bill would send Hillary into sniper fire, but not Chelsea.

[zulchzulu]

88. That certainly was a very ODD part to the story...

When it's really dangerous, you send over the First Lady and her daughter?

:shrug:

[cliffordu]

5. K&R

Should have a permanent place on the front page of DU.

[Taxmyth]

6. Equivalent to Kerry's Flip Flop(s)

A non story being blown out of proportion. Others on the trip have spoken about the circumstances and it's easy to see how Senator Clinton could err in her recall of the event 12 years later, yes, and even more than once. But hey, if you're that pure and perfect, fire away. Just about the same with all of the so called "lies". They've been debunked time and again and are really just being used as a smokescreen. But don't let that stop your fun.

The great thing about Senator Clinton is that there is so much documentation of her life. If she errs in the recall of an event like Bosnia you just go to the videotape. Can't do that with Senator Obama which means all the investigations run by the Republicans against Bill and Hillary Clinton will be started all over again with Barack and Michelle Obama. Should prove for some interesting reading though I don't know if they will find anything.

We already know they didn't find anything on the Clintons.

[DearAbby]

8. Lying is a non story?

You believe the GOP will be so kind as to over look this golden opportunity to torpedo this candidate's campaign? And strange you mention Kerry's flip flops...:wtf:

[anonymous171]

10. It's even better than the "flip-flops"? Can you imagine how they will frame her?

She will be the lying politician with no integrity against War Hero John McCain.

[Taxmyth]

15. Like I typed

There's nothing we don't know about her, and the so-called "lies" have been refuted and debunked and serve only as a smoke screen. This has been going on for well over 15 years now and only someone just coming through the turnstile into the ballpark would not know this. Her entire life has been investigated over and over again and she's a United States Senator.

There is the almost guarantee that there can be no October surprise with a Senator Clinton as the nominee and probably the same could be said for Senator McCain. Senator Obama OTOH.....

McCain and Clinton could spend all campaign calling each other liars since there's so much documented "proof" of their having done so but since this information is fairly old and has been researched and refuted where necessary or corrected when it's been an honest mistake, it should have little or no bearing on the contest.

[anonymous171]

16. How will she be anti-war when she voted for it?

How can she play experience when McCain has more than she does. The GOP will chastise her about fabricating a war story over and over again, highlighting McCain's own service as well.

[Taxmyth]

22. There was 1 death from "Hostile Fire" during the Clinton Presidency

and there is no reason to think that she will not follow in that family tradition. As far as voting for IWR, that's a pretty long list of Senators who did the same thing. Maybe they thought it was the right thing to do at the time given the information they were given. Maybe they all made mistakes. I don't think that vote is something that can be held against her as McCain voted Aye also. Times have changed now and the initial reasoning behind invading Iraq is no longer relavent (maybe). Security has to be maintained because whether you accept it or not, the fact is America's economy is dependent on oil. That's not the function of the United States Military which is what Senator Clinton is showing in her statements while Senator McCain keeps insisting it is. Major difference in the two platforms and one that shows Senator Clinton doesn't want to get the Military killed.

She made a mistake in the retelling of a war story. She has a war story. So does Senator McCain and there's been enough documentation of his mistakes in retelling them. He doesn't hold the high moral ground in that department.

[anonymous171]

23. Is there video showing that he was never shot down?

I mean, come on. The media loves McCain, they hate Hillary.

[Taxmyth]

28. Your agenda is showing

The media exists to sell advertising. They don't care a whit about either of these two people or you or me as long as their advertisers are happy. There is nothing they haven't dug up on either Senator McCain or Clinton and it's been filmed, written about and otherwise well documented. They're just now getting around to digging on Senator Obama though. Dirt sells and Senators McCain and Clinton just don't have that much dirt. Truth be told, a Presidential campaign with those two would focus on current gaffes and campaigning stops and well before November 1 would probably not even merit front page/lead story coverage.

[anonymous171]

29. Again, Kerry didn't have any dirt on him. Look what happened to him.

The most important attribute the nom. must have is an ability to excite their base, not only to get out and vote, but to work their campaign offices and canvass neighborhoods. I just can't see Hillary doing the same thing Obama has, in that regard.

[Taxmyth]

32. Kerry didn't fight back

and that's where his big mistake was. I don't see that happening with Senator Clinton and especially after what happened to Senator Kerry.

As far as exciting the base to work for a particular candidate and to vote for that candidate, I could see Senator Obama getting the edge there at least in motivating people to work for his campaign. But it's not only the base you have to have vote for you. That is where Senator Clinton wins the election. Republican women WILL vote for Senator Clinton in numbers. Senator Obama does not have that kind of cross support. And anyone who thinks a woman, GOP or otherwise, will do what she is told instead of what she thinks is best.......well, you get the picture.

[anonymous171]

34. I seriously doubt that republican woman theory.

I think you're going to need some data to back that up.

[Taxmyth]

36. LOL

Can't give you that data because it doesn't exist. Yet. Not until polling starts taking place for the general election. And even then it may not become apparent due to some sort of weird Bradley or Wilder Effect.

Call it a theory if you will and by all means, apply doubt to the theory. It falls under the category of common sense, really. She's a woman and there are women that want to see a woman for President. The fact that it is Senator Clinton may turn some of those who feel that way, off. Some but not all. There is precedent for women leaders in the world. When that curtain closes on the voting booth in November there will be GOP women who vote for Senator Clinton using that theory as a driving factor.

Could this happen? Absolutely and it is more likely to happen with Senator Clinton than with Senator Obama.
Will it happen? Unknown at this time.

[anonymous171]

37. Well, from purely anecdotal evidence, I don't think that will happen (in large amounts)

Most of the repug women I know hate Hillary for two reasons: 1. They think she is some crazy scheming woman who staying with her cheating husband in order to get ahead. 2. They don't care about the gender of the candidates, only who is the most conservative. That's just my take on it. But I have no hard evidence to back me up either :)

[Kool Kitty]

31. Telling the story wrong once is a mistake, and saying that

she made the mistake because she was sleep-deprived I could swallow. (I don't know how the candidates keep the pace they do, it's incredible.) Telling the same incorrect story four times is not a mistake.

[Taxmyth]

38. Telling the story 4 times before someone brings it to your attention

is what happened. She had a memory of this mission that was correct in places and exaggerated in others. The mission was well over a decade old. And once again, what is so great about Senator Clinton is that we could go to the videotape. Somebody did and pointed out the inconsistencies and she updated her remarks. Definitely not a big deal.

Hey, I couldn't keep the hours and miles these candidates are doing without massive quantities of drugs and coffee. Hey, that's an idea. Why don't we drug test all the candidates on Super Tuesday. I bet it would be interesting.

[Kool Kitty]

54. Kinda weak excuse.

Took an awful long time to bring the inaccuracy to her attention, don't you think?

[Taxmyth]

59. Decade plus

Yes, took well over a decade. Long time.

[Kool Kitty]

65. I'm talking about the last four weeks, not the last decade.

[SwampG8r]

84. only 1 ?lying wont help

ever hear of a place called somalia?34 dead us 19 in active combat
stop lying to back a liar

[DearAbby]

17. We have already seen what happens

when you elect liars into office. I don't know about you, but I demand better.

[Taxmyth]

24. I know what I'm getting

with Senator Clinton. Practically her entire life has been documented in some way, shape or form. There are no surprises. Senator Obama has not had that kind of, for lack of a better term, "vetting". There is a lot of missing information from his life story that could possibly be damaging to his candidacy as President and the election of other Democratic Party members on the ticket. That information will have to come out and if he's the nominee that leaves to chance, a very real chance, of an October surprise that dooms the ticket. It wouldn't even have to be anything major just enough to get voters questioning him. There wouldn't be enough time for him to control the damage.

OTOH, Senator Clinton has no surprises. The Bosnia remarks are the worst thing anyone has been able to try to damage her with and there is enough information available to see how she could have made a mistake in retelling a story from an event 12 years ago. She has admitted to erring in her recall of the event from 12 years ago and it's certainly not damaging though people with an agenda try to make it appear that way. One quick joke about age and memory loss nullifies anything McCain could say on the subject since he also has these inconsistent stories floating around.

[Levgreee]

60. She has no surprises? Yeah right. She is very secretive, has yet to release her tax returns even

She is not vetted by any means

[Zhade]

20. Not only have the lies NOT been debunked, there's video all over the internet that proves it.

Sorry, we're not as stupid as those who try to spin away her proven lies.

[Taxmyth]

25. Video on the Internet

combined with the recall of the people who also participated in the events characterized as "lies", combined with written documentation, historical analysis and common sense have debunked the mischaracterizations. Using only one of those methods when all are available and necessary is what is stupid. Those with an agenda might even flat out ignore the other forms of proof and rely only on one to promote their own agenda.

No surprises with Senator Clinton. There is nothing that hasn't already come out except for the tax returns and even that should be nothing.

[Johnny__Motown]

27. NO Suprises?? How about the fact she helped get NAFTA passed?

[Taxmyth]

30. No experience, eh?

She has surely been influential in some very important legislation for someone being portrayed as lacking experience.

Having worked in large organizations, I personally have been involved in promoting agenda's that I myself did not care for. It's really not that unusual. NAFTA was not a creation of the Clintons but birthed by and cared for by Republicans. Call it triangulation, call it whatever you want, then President Clinton was trying to work with the GOP and this was something they wanted. So yes,it is plausible that Hillary Clinton was called upon to promote legislation she personally did not agree with but was needed to further bigger and better ideas that she was in favor of.

Not a surprise at all.

[Johnny__Motown]

26. How can you claim these lies have been refuted? she just said she was sleep deprived and misspoke

without addressing the fact that she has been telling the same story for months, on at least 4 separate occasions. She also refuted Sinbad's truthful version of the Bosnia story, and Chelsea even spoke in support of her mother's version of the story..


Either you don't care if your candidate is a habitual liar or you need help grasping reality.



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5348113&mesg_id=5348113



indisputable

[Taxmyth]

35. There is enough information available

about this particular incident to show that she erred in her retelling of an event from 12 years ago, even more than once. 12 years ago. But lo and behold (and this is the great thing about Senator Clinton) there were others on the mission who remembered and videotape and pictures etc. It was something she had done over a decade prior and her recollection of the event was faulty. Very common among people that can remember accomplishments from a decade prior. And her statements when taken in conjunction with others on the mission were not lies but an error in recall. John McCain has similar "lies" in his past also.

The only ones who see the Bosnia mission as a "lie" by Senator Clinton are those with an agenda or those who have yet to see the accounts of others on the mission. It's a smokescreen that is supposed to prevent the public from seeing something else. She erred in her recall of the incident, repeated that error because that's how she remembered it and then went on to correct herself.

Bosnia is the worst thing that has come out about Senator Clinton because there is just nothing else there for anyone to promote, hence it's seeming prominence in the news cycles. But as you can see, the furor is dying down because it's nothing.

[Taxmyth]

21. Why is it strange about Kerry?

That was a huge issue in his run for the Presidency and he didn't meet the challenge head on like he should have. Was kind of a weakness with him because most people already knew that the Flip Flop claims were nonsense and were waiting for him to say it loud and clear. And it's the same with these "lies" told by Senator Clinton all of which have either been debunked or refuted with evidence, even the Bosnia statements. I don't see her backing off that challenge the way Kerry did.

Americans, for the most part, and Democratic Party leaning Americans in particular, are not dumb. If anything knocks Senator Clinton out of the race, it will be her tax returns and not being able to explain fast enough for people to understand where the money came from or get them to remember that Bill deserved it. And then the call will come from the right for Senator Obama to show his tax returns from before 2000. He won't, of course, but that's a different chapter in his mystery.

[zulchzulu]

9. This issue aims firmly at the heart of her credibility, her honesty and her legacy

You can imagine all you want that this is not an issue, but it is clearly the absolute best reason to show exactly why Hillary Clinton is not worthy of being President. She just doesn't get it. She never will.

[DearAbby]

13. How can you err about being shot at?

Traumatic experiences have a way of searing details into your brain...As stated in another thread, I was eight years old and I can tell you the minute details where I was and what I did, minute by minute the day JFK was assassinated.

Being shot at has caused troops to have post traumatic syndrome. And here is Hillary padding her story...then saying ooops I misspoke. What a fucking slap in the face...and not only that, what a slap in the face of those who were assigned to her safety? you believe they were so enept they would land the Wife and only child of the sitting President of the United states in a RED ZONE?

[Taxmyth]

39. If you are in an airplane

or in a helicopter and the PILOT says we fly this way to avoid sniper fire, what do you think you would remember a decade later about the flight(s)?

Just like in a commercial airliner when they warn you of some kind of dangerous situation, that tends to be how you remember that flight. At least for me.

And trying to say the trip was perfectly safe is disingenuous. Getting on an airplane is dangerous. Being around armed soldiers, even your own, is dangerous. Being in a war zone is dangerous even if it is the rear end. Pat Nixon had done it though, so there was precedent which is probably why it was OK'd.

Senator Clinton made an error in her recall of an event that had happened over a decade prior and when shown proof of the error, corrected the error. That's one of the reasons there is a statute of limitations on some crimes - even eyewitness accounts deteriorate over time.

I had read your other thread about the November 22, 1963 tragedy. It's burned into my brain also. I don't think the two events are comparable. With Kennedy, it was horrific national tragedy that shook everyone up and was reported on non-stop for weeks afterwards.

[JeanGrey]

51. It is really so sad reading your posts. The lengths you will go

to to make excuses for Hillary. NO ONE would be shot at and "forget it". Also no one would make up "running across the tarmac under sniper fire" by mistake. You need to just deal with it. She's a lair and just about everyone knows it.:puke:

[Taxmyth]

57. It's really frightening

to see so many that have such perfect recall of events from over a decade ago. One can only assume that all the candidates in the Presidential Primaries are held to such high standards.

[JeanGrey]

64. Are you in so much denial that you REALLY think if you had run

across the "tarmac" at an airport with sniper fire all around you, that YOU WOULD FORGET THAT? Please.

[Taxmyth]

70. Didn't see it, didn't hear it

She was warned about it. Nope, wouldn't forget that either.

It has nothing to do with denial and everything to do with an understanding of the human mind and the effects of time.

[JeanGrey]

85. The effects of time? ROTFLMAO The excuses are just

pitiful.

[Jed Dilligan]

86. .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5380187&mesg_id=5380187

"Anyone can make a mistake about what happened on a trip, she said, and she's right. You might forget the name of the couple you met on the beach, or whether Thursday was the day you came under sustained mortar attack and had to dive behind sandbags and shoot your way out to safety, or was it the day you went to the dolphinarium."

[zulchzulu]

53. What about when you are OUT OF THE AIRPLANE like Hillary was

She was apparently running down the runway OUT OF THE AIRPLANE with all the sniper fire n' shit with her daughter right next to her. Boom! Pop! Zip! Pow! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Or...not...

[Taxmyth]

58. Wow

I didn't realize she had added actually hearing the sniper fire to her account. Thanks for setting me straight on that one. Got the tape, transcript or other documentation that I can show others where she says she remembers hearing the sniper fire?

[JeanGrey]

66. Oh I see, she was "deaf" and the sniper fire was "deaf"

and she just saw it and didn't "hear it". Please stop.

[Taxmyth]

69. Facts are a useful thing

Didn't realize she said she "saw" the sniper fire either. Her words were those of someone WARNED of sniper fire. She didn't say she saw or heard sniper fire.

[JeanGrey]

77. You are still in denial.

You cannot continue this, there is VIDEO of her saying "her group "ran with our heads down" from the plane to avoid sniper fire at the Tuzla Air Base". THEY DID NO SUCH THING.

[Zhade]

19. Such bullshit. It's a proven lie. The video shows she lied. You can't spin it away.

Her falling polls indicate this.

[BearSquirrel2]

44. You mis-speak ...

You mis-speak when you confuse one event with another. This is understandable. Had Hillary been under fire at some other time while traveling in a C-130 with Sinbad and Cheryl Crow, I could understand her "confusion".

[Mooney]

49. What a beautiful river in Egypt!

"Misspeaking" is when you say you want a tuna fish sandwich and absent-mindedly say roast beef instead.

Recalling an event that never occurred in which you are getting shot at is not misspeaking. It's a blatant, bald-faced, indefensible lie that's debunked by video. If you think it's bad now, wait until the general election, when they play the video of her at the welcoming ceremony with her voice over it describing getting shot at. Then imagine it dissolving to a shot of John McCain, who says, "Unlike Senator Clinton, I was actually shot at." Then imagine this ad getting run on a constant loop, in every market, through all of September and October. I'm not psychic, but I think I can safely surmise that the picture will not be pretty.

If she wasn't lying, the only other possible explanation for her vividly recalling this event is that she suffers from some sort of hallucinatory dementia. How do the superdelegates feel about that?

[Emillereid]

75. You DO NOT ERR in remembering the details of an event that DID NOT HAPPEN!

Her story was a LIE, plain and simple. And if you Clinton supporters try to defend it you simply have your head in the sand regarding this woman's lack of integrity. Not only was it a bold-face lie, but it was STUPID!!!

[anonymous171]

7. Hillary was angling for Rambo with this one.

Since that failed she's settled with "Rocky."

[Cha]

11. Thanks for doing this zulch! I hear

the m$$$$m has not been discussing this but is hot on the Wright story.

[Johnny__Motown]

12. I didn't see Chelsea's video comments anywhere (link)

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


The sound kinda sucks but there it is.


2 makes it a conspiracy, not a vast one but a conspiracy none the less.

[JayFredMuggs]

45. Here's a link from You Tube with better sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEB2P8DNE08&NR=1

Same clip, just better sound and longer.

A friendly crowd. You can hear them GROAN when the questioner asks the question.

[zulchzulu]

52. Thanks for posting this

It adds another layer.

[Ino]

14. Interview with the pilot of that mission

wherein he says sitting on flak jackets is a scene from "Apocalypse Now," and not something anyone on his watch ever asked anyone to do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efN3yzVEgCo

[LadyVT]

33. What actually happened, for those interested...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/opinion/01muscatine.html?scp=1&sq=muscatine&st=nyt

Straight Shooting From Tuzla
By LISSA MUSCATINE and MELANNE VERVEER
Published: April 1, 2008
Washington

AS staff members who traveled with the first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to Bosnia in March 1996, we have followed with more than passing interest the extensive news coverage of her landing in Tuzla. Video footage clearly shows that Mrs. Clinton’s assertions that she landed “under fire” and that the arrival ceremony was canceled were wrong. She said so herself last week.

Yet even since she acknowledged her mistake, the commentary has continued unabated. Reports are now being embellished (to borrow the term du jour) to suggest that Bosnia was not really a danger zone. Her visiting American troops on a peacekeeping mission in a hostile environment is now being treated as if it were a trip to the beach. During a week of nonstop coverage, few journalists went beyond the irresistible video footage to ask what else happened on this trip and how Mrs. Clinton might have erred in the details about the landing in Tuzla. So here are some facts that provide context:

We flew in a C-17 cargo plane from Germany to Bosnia precisely because it was capable of steep descents and ascents into and out of areas of conflict. We were issued flak jackets on the plane before landing in Tuzla and were told the tarmac ceremony might be canceled or curtailed due to sniper fire from the surrounding hillsides. The first lady and Chelsea Clinton were moved to the armored cockpit for the landing. Armored vehicles were placed around the tarmac, and Apache helicopters hovered overhead.

In a recent e-mail message to a British blogger, Ejup Ganic, who was the acting president of Bosnia during Mrs. Clinton’s visit, wrote: “I remember that visit quite well. Although the NATO troops were in Tuzla, we still believed that some positions on the hills were occupied by radical Serbs, so I was worried about the overall safety.” The planned welcoming ceremony was shortened, he said, but it still lasted a bit longer than expected because a nongovernment group brought along a little girl to sing to the first lady. Later, Mrs. Clinton flew from Tuzla to two military outposts by helicopter, escorted by Apache gunships.

As has been reported, Mrs. Clinton’s trip to Bosnia included a U.S.O. component with the comedian Sinbad and the singer Sheryl Crow. The helicopters that carried them to performances at American base camps zigzagged just above the trees to avoid potential ground fire, according to Carey Cavanaugh, who was then a State Department official traveling with Sinbad, and helicopters flew alongside to deal with the threat of anti-aircraft fire or snipers. These facts explain why many of us, including the first lady, believed that the conditions on the ground were precarious. We were worried about sniper fire and were prepared to rush off the tarmac when we landed.

(snip)

[Taxmyth]

40. falling on deaf ears or blind hatred

this doesn't support the lie meme so listen for the crickets. Thanks for putting it here

[Ino]

46. On the contrary

Muscatine now acknowledges that "Video footage clearly shows that Mrs. Clinton’s assertions that she landed 'under fire' and that the arrival ceremony was canceled were wrong" and tries to explain "how Mrs. Clinton might have erred in the details."

In other words, Muscatine is trying to explain how standard safety precautions were understandably transformed in Clinton's imagination into actual combat experience... but she fails. Barring some psychopathology, walking around listening to poems, posing with 7th-graders, & shaking hands just does not translate into "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." That is a LIE based on facts, not hatred. And one would have to be deaf AND blind to think otherwise.

As part of her justification, Muscatine cites an email from Bosnia's then-president to an unnamed, uncited blogger! That sloppy "proof" wouldn't fly on DU. Why should one accept it from Hilliary's speechwriter?

[zulchzulu]

47. Exactly

Muscatine was trying to mix up the event with other events where there WAS sniper fire.

As one who has witnessed shootings and violence firsthand, you never forget those moments. They are etched in our mind and you can relive the hell anytime you want if you dare to.

For Hillary Clinton to continue to use her outright lie repeatedly for political expediency of an event that NEVER OCCURRED is not only deceptive, but it flies in the face of how the US military would endanger the First Lady and her daughter.

This pointing out of the facts, as you said, has nothing to do with hatred unless we're referring to Hillary Clinton's apparent hatred of the truth.

[Taxmyth]

55. 12 years

multiple flights by cargo plane and helicopter. Military installation where sniper fire would not be unexpected and is planned for. Understandable.

One can only assume that others in this race are also facing this type of scrutiny and condemnation of statements that err from the truth.

[Ino]

67. Not sure what you're trying to say.

Are you trying to say Hilliary mixed up the Bosnia trip with another trip where she DID dodge sniper fire?

[Taxmyth]

72. I am saying

that she was warned about the sniper fire and this became the strongest memory of the mission. A decade later and that took a prominent role in her retelling of the event. She never says she heard sniper fire or saw sniper fire or I would be of the same opinion, that she lied.

[Ino]

76. The very first quote in the OP ...

"I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

What do you think "under sniper fire" means?!

If she had said, "I remember hearing (or seeing) sniper fire" -- well, that could have been at a distance. I've heard & seen sniper fire on TV.

Being "under sniper fire" means you are being shot at!

[Zhade]

18. Kick for the truth and against the lies

clinton's a proven liar. If you still support her, you support lies.

[McCamy Taylor]

41. This story does the RNC's work for them. And it paints Obama as a dirty trickster

so that the RNC does not have to get its hands dirty. Congratulations. DU is taking out both of our remaining candidates.

Lee Atawater would be so proud.

[zulchzulu]

42. So you want to give Hillary Clinton, a pathological liar, a free pass?

This stuff is on the Net and already in RNC's hands. Hillary Clinton did what she did and couldn't shut her piehole. So you blame the people pointing it out...

:puke:

[Ino]

48. "This story...paints Obama as a dirty trickster"?!

How so? What is your reasoning for this slur?

[zulchzulu]

50. When you're out of ammo, all you usually have are twigs and pebbles

It's a classic diversionary tactic to bring up something absolutely unrelated to the story to try to make it "part of the story".

Nowhere in this story is Obama in ANY way related to what Hillary Clinton repeatedly lied about. It's all about what came out of her mouth in her own words.

But, golly gee, if you can blame Obama for what she herself said, that just shows where she stands.

[dailykoff]

56. Yes, she's been making their work easy for years.

That's just one reason she'll never get elected to dogcatcher when this is all over.

[MethuenProgressive]

61. Once again pathological liar Barack Obama gets a free pass...

As he walks on water handing out unicorns and puppies to His followers.
:barf:

[zulchzulu]

63. What does Hillary Clinton's lie about her Bosnian trip have to do with Obama?

Give me the link. Tell me how what she said repeatedly about something that didn't happen and has a lot of repercussions has ANYTHING to do with Barack Obama. Was Obama there? Was Obama in Bosnia as well at the time?

If you're a Hillary Follower and can't see past her untrustworthiness, then you must have some odd friends in life.

[Willo]

62. Amazing that her campaign leaves it on her website n/t

[FlyingSquirrel]

68. Perhaps it would draw even more attention if they removed it.

A new headline, you know... "Hillary removes sniper story from her website! Attempt at cover-up of her embarrassing gaffe?"

[TwilightGardener]

71. Can you imagine if any other candidate made up this story? His campaign

would have been over on the spot. But since people generally EXPECT Hillary to lie her ass off, and since her supporters are OK with her lies, she's still somehow in the race.

[Mimosa]

78. Wow, ain't it the truth?

Weinerdoggie, you've put it in a nutshell.

And that is why Hillary cannot win the general Election. The comics and the GOP will be on her case re: the pathological lying every night. People will not vote for a woman who is the butt of so many jokes. Once a person has earned distrust, it's unlikely she can restore it, unless people in general are stupider than they seem.

[zulchzulu]

83. Absolutely!

If Obama had said anything even close to this repeatedly, he would have been gone... but no, we expect this shit from the mouth of a Clinton.

[Emillereid]

74. She absolutely should not be allowed to get away with this. It was a despicable

LIE. And if she is our nominee, I believe McCain could rightfully play it over and over again as an example of her penchant for lying. All is has to do is compare his and others' real war experiences with her 'made-up, made in hollywood' nonsense. Stretching the truth is one thing, but making stuff up out of whole cloth is quite another.

[zulchzulu]

79. She's joking about it on Leno tonight

:puke:

[Emillereid]

80. I just heard - it sickening. I liken it to Bush's jokes about looking for WMDs. Sure

wish Randi was on to take her so-called humor on.

[zulchzulu]

81. I'm glad she reminded everyone of her "misstatement" just in time for the weekend news cycle

Yuck yuck yuck...

:puke:

[cliffordu]

82. Yep. hey, what's that giant flushing sound????

:rofl: