Posted on 03/25/2008 1:50:16 PM PDT by Buffalo Bob
In light of Tuzla-gate (catchy, no?), reporters are going over past statements by Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, (and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois) to see if others don't stand more rigorous examination.
One that may get renewed scrutiny is a story she told “Women in Military Service” in 1994 -- that shortly after the end of the Vietnam war, she looked into joining the Marines.
In June 1994, Clinton told an organization trying to build a memorial for women who had served in the armed forces, that while living in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 1975, “I decided that I was very interested in having some experience in serving in some capacity in the military. So I walked into our local recruiting office...”
Clinton recalled that she didn’t know if she wanted to be active duty, reserves, or National Guard. She was already a lawyer; surely there was a role she could perform. The Marine recruiter looked at her, she recalled, and asked how old she was. Twenty-seven, she said.
“He looked at me, and in those days that was before I learned how to wear contact lenses," Clinton said. "I had these really thick glasses on. He said, ‘How bad's your eyesight?' I said, ‘It's pretty bad.' …Finally said to me, he said, 'You're too old. You can't see. And you're a woman.…But maybe the dogs would take you.'”
("Dogs” would be a pejorative reference to the Army.)
Clinton continued, “I said, ‘This is not a very encouraging conversation, so maybe I'll look for another way to serve my country.’”
That seems an odd pronouncement for the recruiter to have made, considering that at the time, according to A History of the Women Marines, female Marines who became pregnant were permitted to remain on active service, as this photograph attests. And I believe the military had a few recruiting problems back in the 1970s -- hence their abject rejection of a brainy lawyer wouldn't make much sense. (Then again, ask a soldier how often Pentagon rules "make sense.")
At the time Clinton told the story, the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd seemed to wonder about it, pointing out that Hillary and Bill Clinton were married on Oct. 11, 1975 in Fayetteville.
“So, if she was talking to a Marine recruiter in 1975 before the marriage, was she briefly considering joining the few, the proud and the brave of the corps as an alternative to life with Mr. Clinton, who was already being widely touted as a sure thing for Arkansas Attorney General?
“Neal Lattimore, Mrs. Clinton's spokesman, said her visit to the recruiter had to be seen in the context of her dedication to public service. ‘I'm never surprised when Mrs. Clinton is doing something service oriented,’ he said. ‘She was just taking in all her options, saying “This is where I am in my life, this is what fits into my life right now.”’”
The Washington Post looked into the story at the time as well. No one could find any records or anything other than vague memories. "All I can remember is that she looked into it," Clinton’s late friend Diane Blair told the newspaper.
Another Arkansas friend, Ann Henry said she "vaguely" recalled the episode “in the context of frequent discussions they used to have about women's access to supposedly open career paths. Frequently, the equal opportunity that was promised was not a reality - and sometimes female faculty members went out to conduct ‘tests,’ Henry said. 'If Hillary Rodham had asked about the Marines as a way of testing whether the corps actually welcomed women, ‘it would have been consistent with what was going on with us at the time,’ Henry said. ’Is it possible she was testing?’ Blair asked. ‘I don't remember if she was seriously exploring a career, or was moved by curiosity, or patriotism or feminism. I wish I had kept notes.’”
It’s a story that I don't believe Clinton has repeated since 1994. Why not?
Sounds as true as a hollywood sit-com hack can write.
I spoke with a USMC Gunny who was active duty in the White House during the Clinton years.....anyone in uniform had to go into another room,if possible when the Mrs was coming....she did not want to see anyone in uniform because she hated the military.....
Great photo shop...I sent that to my USMC sons....
Just a thought: You ought to see if you can photoshop one like the imfamous “Marlboro Man”. THAT would be a scream!
> Oh brother, was she in Vietnam, too?
At Ia Drang with Col Moore and the 7th Cavalry. The first female soldier to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. And the first female combat veteran of Vietnam. As a Navy SEAL...
...what??? don’t believe me? It’s true, it’s TRUE I tell ya!
And when she was discharged she invented the World Wide Web, to make AlGore’s invention of The Internet usable to average people like us...
...sure thing! I heard it from a man who knows a fellow who says it’s true!
But before that she was a member of the US Gymnastics team in Los Angeles 1984, where she won Gold in that flip-floppy event — you know the one...
...Honest Injun! Sure I wasn’t there but I swear I have an alibi.
And right after that she won the 3000 meter sprint against Zola Bud, and got even with her for tripping up Mary Decker. That act alone caused a major political shift in South Africa, bringing Freedom to the oppressed and an end to Aparteid...
...Cross-my-heart-hope-to-die poke-a-needle-in-my-eye-if-I-tell-a-lie!
But if you think *that* is amazing, they tell me that Superman wears Chuck Norris pyjamas, but Chuck Norris wears Hillary pyjamas! And he even checks his closet before going to bed to see if Hillary is in there! It’s true I tell ya!
It’s all true!
I would believe this if she had said she tried to enlist in the KGB or the PAVN...which she probably really did do!
Hillary didn’t lie - she “misspoke.”
And there is the whopper Hillary told about Chelsea jogging around the Twin Towers on 9-11-01. As the towers fell, Chelsea stopped at a nearby pay phone to call Senator Mommy and complain that Bush’s tax cuts caused the Towers’ collapse.
[Clinton told that one in an interview shortly after the 9-11 attacks. Chelsea told a different story about the same time — she (Chelsea) was at a friend’s apartment some 10 miles away and watched the 9-11 atrocities on television that day.]
Jake Tapper... the “Scott Templeton” of the Rock ‘n Roll journalism set. At least this time they are eating their own.
Just another Democrat hero.
Although I would tend to agree with you I had a similar experience with an Army recruiter.
In 1985 I went into the local recruiter’s office and ask about applying for the Warrant Officer Flight Training (WOFT) program to fly helicopters. The Sgt. looked at me like I was nuts and asked me if I had ever taken the apptitude board test and what was my score. As I was now 25 yrs old I told them that I did my senior year of high school and I thought that I had scored in the 98 percentile.
He about called me everything but a liar and said that there was no way I could have done that and that the highest score he had seen was in the mid 80’s. We got into a pretty heated argument and I finally convinced him that I was serious (why else would I have been there in the first place) and to give me the test.
So he trots me down to the Reserve Center and I took the test. He called me the next day and in a very excited breath was asking me if I knew what I scored and that I qualified to for any job in the military...
Unfortunately although I passed all of the tests and had the pen in hand to sign the final documents, I backed out based upon all of the other bad experiences I had with my recruiters and at the MEPPS Center and I explained my reasons to the Colonel in charge of recruiting stations in my state...(I have regretted that decision every since)
So at least in my situation they did make that immediate judgement call...
Was the recruiting station in Little Rock or Berkeley?
“Another load of bullcrap. The Marines would not have turned her down because she was woman and in particular would not have turned down a Lawyer.”
I think that the entire office would have been excited and would have helped the effort to bag an attorney.
She would have received follow up, whether she wanted it or not.
She is running across America,
“So at least in my situation they did make that immediate judgement call...”
“Unfortunately although I passed all of the tests and had the pen in hand to sign the final documents, I backed out based upon all of the other bad experiences I had with my recruiters and at the MEPPS Center and I explained my reasons to the Colonel in charge of recruiting stations in my state..”
Who knows what triggered the recruiter’s first impression, but in the end.......
What exactly are you trying to say or alluding to?
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