THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF CLINTON

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF CLINTON Hillary Clinton's ravenous ambition and sense of entitlement has clearly blinded her to reality. If she wasn't so blinded by the arrogance of believing that America owes her the presidency, she'd realize that her antics in this election is not only undermining any chance she has of becoming president, but it's also wreaking havoc on the Clinton legacy. The one thing the Clintons had going for them was America's belief that, with all their flaws, they were primarily motivated by what was in America's best interest. But that's no longer the case. Now we see the Clintons for what they are–a couple who's willing to lie, cheat and steal to promote their own greed and self-interest. That, in turn, has caused many Americans to take a second look at both, their character, and Bill's presidency through the lens of this new information, and a large number of them don't like what they see. Now, many Americans are beginning to ask themselves questions, like how can we trust Hillary to answer that call at 3 a.m. When she seems to be totally oblivious to facts that are staring her in the face–especially when those facts don't conform to what she wants to see? For example, doesn't she realize that by continuously slinging mud at Obama instead of addressing the issues that it's making her look desperate and less than concerned about the fate of the Democratic Party? And what about her judgment? What could she have possibly been thinking when she repeatedly endorsed the Republican nominee over Obama? Then there was the Bosnian matter. Didn't she realize before she told that blatant lie about the Bosnian trip that there were news cameras there to document that she was lying? And if that wasn't stupid enough, she then went on The Tonight Show and tried to joke about it, as though lying to the American people was all in fun. Now, as a direct result of that lie, a Pew research survey indicates that 29% of Democrats asked describes Hillary as phony. In addition, she's also placed herself in a position where every syllable she utters, and every scrap of paper she releases is going to be scrutinized with a fine tooth comb--and that doesn't bode well, considering her dubious past. As a matter of fact, it seems that the process has already begun. Dan Calabrese reveals in his column that former general counsel and chief of staff of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Zeifman, indicated that he fired the 27 year old Hillary Rodham from the House Judiciary Committee staff and refused to give her a letter of recommendation due to her lying and unethical conduct. Zeifman said that during the Watergate investigation Hillary lied in a legal brief, them removed evidence from public access that would document her conduct. In addition, Christopher Hitchens wrote in an article for Slate Magazine that Hillary's lie about flying into Bosnia under sniper fire was just the tip of the iceberg in the Bosnian story. Hitchens points out that while Hillary arrived in Tuzla in 1996, the real story began four years earlier in 1992 when Bill Clinton promised to take action to prevent the ethnic cleansing of Bosnia. Hitchens points to Sally Bedell Smith's book, For Love of Politics, where she indicates the following: "Taking the advice of Al Gore and National Security Advisor Tony Lake, Bill agreed to a proposal to bomb Serbian military positions while helping the Muslims acquire weapons to defend themselves—the fulfillment of a pledge he had made during the 1992 campaign. But instead of pushing European leaders, he directed Secretary of State Warren Christopher merely to consult with them. When they balked at the plan, Bill quickly retreated, creating a 'perception of drift.' The key factor in Bill's policy reversal was Hillary, who was said to have 'deep misgivings' and viewed the situation as 'a Vietnam that would compromise health-care reform.' The United States took no further action in Bosnia, and the 'ethnic cleansing' by the Serbs was to continue for four more years, resulting in the deaths of more than 250,000 people." Revelations such as the one above, along with the truth about NEFTA, and the Clinton antics during this campaign is rapidly changing America's view of the Clintons-- including Bill's legacy as president. Regardless to what one's position is on the matter of universal healthcare, allowing the death of 250,000 people is much too high a price to pay to promote any legislation–and especially when that legislation ultimately went down to defeat. But at this point, one must wonder about Hillary's commitment to universal healthcare in the first place. Now that we've seen the several faces of Hillary, along with the Clinton's Machiavellian approach to politics, one is tempted to wonder if Hillary was really as committed to universal healthcare as she claimed, or was she simply building a resume for this future run for the presidency. Her commitment seems especially suspect now, since it has recently been revealed that she failed to pay the healthcare premiums for her own campaign staff. According to Politico.com , Hillary has failed to pay $292,000 in healthcare premiums for her own staff. And what makes this episode even more ironic is the fact that Hillary's failure to pay those premiums reinforces a point that Obama has repeatedly made during the campaign. Hillary claimed that Obama's plan was flawed because it didn't cover all of the people. In response, Obama said that his plan covered anyone who wanted to be insured, but he didn't make it mandatory that every adult be insured because under Hillary's plan if a person couldn't afford to pay the premium they'd be fined for missing the payment, which would create an additional financial burden on many people. Now maybe Hillary will understand Obama's point. If Hillary's campaign staff had been insured under her plan, in addition to having to pay the $292,000 in back premiums, she'd also be facing a fine. It's sad to watch the Clintons go down in flames. I would have been quite comfortable with having Bill step into history as one of our great presidents, and to see Hillary live out an illustrious political career, whatever that entailed. But in the end, it's beginning to look like it is the intent of destiny to set the record straight. What we now know about the Clinton's ugly greed for power has brought additional scrutiny into their lives, and at this point, it looks like it's going to be their undoing. While it's painful knowing that I was wrong about them, I'd much rather to be informed than to be right. Eric L. Wattree wattree.blogspot.com Stay on top of what's going on around you. From Hip Hop to world and national news--stay informed about those things that impact both the Black community and the world by some of the nation's top Black writers. Stay in touch with Your Black World www.yourblackworld.com/. It's your piece of the net. Eric

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