It's nice to know that Hillary Clinton is human. As one myself, I could accept her response to the Bosnian bruhaha if she hadn't been "mistaken" so many other times. Psychlogists pretty much agree that the only way to sort out fickle memory is with external corroboration. So, I look at pre-Bosnian memory-lapses and try to help the Senator sort the truth from fantasy using the historical record. With #5, Hillary's most costly mistake, I offer my central thesis.
Five other cases in which external corroboration suggests Hillary mistaken:
- re: Peace in Ireland Hillary: “I helped bring peace to Ireland.”
Brian Feeney, Irish author and former Belfast politician: “The road to peace was carefully documented, and she wasn’t on it.” See also Lord Trimble, George Mitchell, Comtemporary Irish newspapers.
- re: Macedonian government Hillary: “I negotiated open borders to let fleeing refugees into safety from Kosovo.”
Major Macedonian players recall the borders opened the day before; First Lady’s presence was a shot in the arm.
- re: SCHIP Hillary: “I helped to start SCHIP”
Orrin Hatch:“The White House wasn’t for it...does she deserve credit for SCHIP? No—Teddy does, but she doesn’t.”
- re: NAFTA Hillary: “I have been a critic of NAFTA from the beginning.”
ABC News, five meetings, 120 eye witnesses at a White House briefing, the First Lady’s recently released records: no support for role as NAFTA critic, much support for role as NAFTA cheerleader.
- re: Iraq war vote Hillary NOW: “didn’t vote for a pre-emptive war” and didn’t know about intelligence report.
Hillary THEN: voted “with conviction.” Two weeks before war began,“happy that in the face of such horrible suffering we did act” and sure she had thoroughly reviewed all intelligence. (see Senate record, Code Pink Youtube, NYT)
Associated costs--
The Treasure: Trillions.
The Blood: 150,000 PLUS Iraqi civilians killed; 750,000 Iraqi refugees surviving through paid fasting and prostitution; 4,000 U.S. troops dead, thousands maimed, brain damaged, sentenced to PTSD for life.
So she made a mistake. Whatever.