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March 26, 2008

Hillary at Tuzla

I don't know how many of you have ever BEEN to a war zone. I have.
The stress of combat and the stress of the THREAT of combat can play funny tricks with your mind.
I served for a year in Vietnam and was wounded in 1969. Also I was a Kucinich supporter who switched to Edwards and then Obama.

Now, I've seen the videos of Hillary Clinton landing at Tuzla and it is obvious she was not being subjected to sniper fire nor was she "running for the car". But, the evidence notwithstanding, I don't believe she initially lied. I believe her memory was that she WAS under sniper fire and ran for the car.
Stress is a funny (not humorous) thing and it can affect the human mind in funny (also not humorous) ways.
I think she was probably told of the possibility of sniper fire before they landed. I believe she was very stressed by the information, doubly so since her teenaged daughter was with her.
I believe what she is remembering is the THREAT of snipers and her mind made them real to her.

So I give her a "FREE PASS" on her initial statements about Tuzla.
(Though I AM troubled by her attempts to "spin" it as "mis-speaking". I think she should have been more honest about it being a case of mis-remembering under stress. But perhaps she fears that would show "weakness".)

What I DO take her to task for is going into a potentially very dangerous situation in Bosnia, and taking her teenaged daughter with her.
Assuming that you thought the trip was absolutely necessary, how many of you (who are parents) would take your CHILD into that situation with you ?
How many of you would risk your child's life unnecessarily.
Hillary's presence might have been necessary.
But surely Chelsea's presence was NOT.

Is that the kind of "wisdom" you want answering that phone call at 3:00AM?
If she is willing to place her daughter's life in that kind of danger,
what kind of danger is she willing to place the rest of America in?

Posted by Mac at March 26, 2008 04:20 AM