Posted on 06/15/2003 11:15:12 PM PDT by LdSentinal
In addressing the epic 5-4 Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for President Bush’s 2000 victory in the Electoral College, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., told Charlie Rose, “I think they made a decision that was politically motivated and unprecedented. They claimed to be supporters of states’ rights but then took the position that Florida law was not controlling…”
Still on the TV talk show circuit touting her “Living History,” Hillary seemed to appreciate that host Rose put aside the now well-hashed subject of her personal trials and tribulations and concentrated on all things political during her appearance on his show Saturday.
Rose followed up Hillary’s revelation by asking whether her perceived chicanery on the High Court “changed the election?” “Certainly it changed the election,” she responded without hesitation or qualification.
Hillary was also as blunt and clear when it came to discussing the impeachment of Bill Clinton. “I knew this was not an impeachable offense,” she explained, adding that as a young Yale-trained lawyer she had researched and written on the Richard M. Nixon impeachment process that had gotten under way before his history-making resignation. She said that in her opinion the “criminal process and the investigative apparatus” had in her husband’s case been manipulated to political ends.
The lawyers on the Supreme Court where not the only members of the legal community that received a Hillary-bashing. As to the “parade of quite extreme” Bush judicial nominees coming up for the advise and consent of the Senate, Hillary complained that many through their “testimony and past behavior have shown themselves to be committed to a political agenda.”
Covering the Issues
Although gushing that her post in the Senate is “a totally consuming job that I love,” the junior member swept across the issues as if one of the field of Democratic 2004 presidential hopefuls.
At the top of the list for discussion was the issue of the intelligence on Iraq’s elusive WMD. Hillary: “I hope and trust that this administration does not stand in the way” of an open and full investigation. And more pointedly, “We must not be intimidated by those in power.”
Furthermore, she drew an analogy to the 9/11 investigation still ongoing on Capitol Hill, where the “administration was standing in the way” of quick and meaningful results – with Rose adding the allusion to one of the standard perceived goals of the probe, “Who knew what, when?”
Hillary explained that in her view, the administration “came into power wanting to get rid of Saddam Hussein.”
And her foreign policy comments covered another of the Axis of Evil – North Korea. “What is our posture toward proliferation?” she asked rhetorically, before revealing that she thought there should be “a more robust” engagement with N. Korea, “a paranoid regime with reason to believe the U.S. will attack.”
Hillary lamented that the present administration was prone to use “bellicose language and military action” in the exercise of its foreign policy. “These are not the only arrows in the quiver,” she added.
As to America’s image around the globe, Hillary warned that the world must see that the projection of the U.S.’s significant power is exercised thoughtfully, adding that it is time to repair the strained relations with Europe and other countries.
On the economy, Hillary said, the first Bush administration “revived the discredited supply-side economic theory with a vengeance, quadrupling the debt…” The current administration is being “even more aggressive,” she suggested, “making it even harder to reverse.”
The former First Lady went on to conclude that the Bush economic policies would result in long term economic problems, including the drying up of capital, tens-of-thousands of federally-funded cops being pulled off the streets, and dramatic new difficulties in securing student loans.
As to her party’s chances in the 2004 election, she conceded that the Democrats would be able to focus on the economy -- “if we nominate a candidate that can cross the national security threshold…”
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"Hillary explained that in her view, the administration “came into power wanting to get rid of Saddam Hussein.” Like this is a bad thing?
Now we have the 'net, talk radio, and the Blogs working in concert to bypass the media... which side will triumph?
Call 9-Wahhhh Wahhhh.
Let them fight the 2000 election while the Republicans fight the one in 2004.
I heard this also on Larry King and was absolutely nauseous. As detailed in Ann Coulter's book, "Crimes and Misdemeaners" one of the charges Hillary drafted against Nixon was for "endeavouring to use the IRS."
For those not familiar with the story:
Nixon once asked Haldeman if they could use the IRS against political opponents. Haldeman advised him that this could not be done and was illegal. The matter was dropped.
However, in the mind of Hillary simply asking the question was an impeachable offense. She drafted the charge on this basis, but it was later rejected by Peter Rodino.
Her comments are also disgusting, when on considers Bill Clinton's position regarding the validity of perjury as an impeachable offense.
We are talking about Hillary here. Since when did bothersome details, such as facts, ever come into her equation?
Uh, no. That was SCOFLA that decided that Florida law was not controlling.
Three more words:
Seven-to-two.
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