Watching Amy Pohler on Saturday Night Live parody Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can be REALLY funny. Watching Hillary Clinton act as if she were Amy Pohler mocking herself in real life...mmmm less so!
Thats the way her behavior came across during an interview in Africa recently. Pohler's Clinton is an insecure, power hungry woman who is frightfully sensitive to any perceived slight that would imply her political career is nothing more than an extension of her husband Bill's.
So when a question from the audience (wrongly translated) asked her what she thought her husband's position was on a diplomatic issue, an obviously irritated Clinton (channelling Amy Pohler channeling Hillary Clinton) shut the audience member down with a small tirade reminding everyone that SHE was Secretary of State and not Bill Clinton.
This whole situation was quite damaging for Clinton and I believe her future aspirations for the Oval Office. (Oh yes, she will run for President again)
Clinton could be forgiven some irritability as she crisscrossed Africa giving multiple speeches in multiple settings in multiple countries. Anyone of us could be guilty of lashing out a bit in such conditions.
And yes in her perception of the inquiry (the audience member had meant to ask what Mr. Obama thought not Mr. Clinton) the question did seem to cut across her authority as Secretary of State but this is the ONE area Clinton needed to remain stoic despite any feelings to the contrary.
I for one have grown to have a grudging respect for Hillary Clinton over the years. I'm no fan mind you but have often tried to remind those friends of mine who live in the political spectrum to my right that Clinton is, in fact, fairly centrist. She often received harsh criticism from those on the Left for her more moderate positions...positions that were often conveniently ignored by those on the Right who were to busy burning her in effigy.
However some of my friends fears have also revealed themselves to be true. Hillary's actions in Africa re-enforced the notion that she indeed struggles with insecurity and sees her relationship with Bill as being competitive rather than complimentary....who doesn't stand on her own but instead lives in the shadow of her higher profile (and far smoother) husband.
In the end, this incident will come back to haunt her in the future...mark my words
1 comment:
You might be right. I disagree about her seeking the presidency again, though. This was her time and it didn't happen (and oh my gosh, she had to deal with that - the young upstart coming out of nowhere and taking what was rightfully hers). She will make her mark on history as Sec. of State, in my humble opinion.
I met Hillary (and Bill) several times when I lived in Arkansas and always thought she was the smarter of the two. He, however, was (and is)slicker and smoother and that's how he got where he got, how he managed to complete his presidency with some success even after his sexual dalliances and committing perjury and why he remains popular today.
She has a brilliant mind but also gets a little, well, pissed off at times (so does he but, again, that charm of his has always trumped everything else). And those who know her best know that right now one of her hot buttons is someone deferring to her former-president-husband over her (even though they might not have meant to do so).
BTW, I am hoping you will write something on health care in the near future. Would really like to hear your thoughts.
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