I must admit that the junior Senator from Illinois is far nicer than I am. I am not a part of his campaign; however, I have (and will continue to) volunteer to support his candidacy. With that said, I hope to include as much vetting in this diary as I can about Senator Hillary Clinton. Suggestions welcomed.
Just to be clear - this was Senator Clinton's idea - during tonight's debate she said:
...there were so many different variations on the explanations that we heard. And it is something that I think deserves further exploration...
It is clear that, as leaders, we have a choice who we associate with and who we apparently give some kind of seal of approval to. ...
And so this is a legitimate area, as everything is when we run for office, for people to be exploring and trying to find answers.
Well then - let's explore and find some answers (quick info at top - more info in comments)...
Wal-Mart: Supported Union-busting, made 100,000 dollars which helped the Clinton's amass early wealth, had chief executive at her home as recently as July 06.
Bosnia: Thanks to JedReport and Sinbad - we know that she lied extensively about what happened in Bosnia. Now she says she was tired or misspoke.
N. Ireland: She exaggerated again - saying she was the one who helped broker peace in Northern Ireland. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said, "Sure, we know she wasn't sitting down at the negotiation table." (MSNBC)
Raising Taxes on the Middle class:Wednesday night she said she wouldn't raise taxes on those making under $250,000 a year. So long as, I guess, they're not tobacco farmers (say - in NC). "I’m a big believer in raising tobacco taxes," Mrs. Clinton said (MSNBC). This would effectively cut down on money made by tobacco farmers (read more about its effect on PA voters here).
NAFTA: "Against it while I supported it which was before I was against but really I was against it the whole time." David Sirota lays it out pretty clearly.
3AM: In Wednesday's debate, she replied to a question about her lying about Bosnia and said,
"So I will either try to get more sleep, Tom, or, you know, have somebody who, you know, is there as a reminder to me. You know, you can go back for the past 15 months. We both have said things that, you know, turned out not to be accurate. You know, that happens when you're talking as much as we have talked."
Excellent. So when she answers the call at 3am - she'll (A) lie, (B) misspeak, (C) need someone there to give her the right answer or (D) all of the above? That's real national security.
"Screw 'em": This actually isn't just about her quote in the Huffington Post. Actually, this is how she treats anyone who doesn't support her. Bill Richardson - Judas. Black voters (circa Jan 26/South Carolina) - just voting along racial lines. Oddly, the inverse is true - former foes are now important (i.e., Richard Scaife). More details in comments.
1992-2000 (The Gates): FALN. Don't know about that? Turns out that while Hillary is tying Obama to Will Ayers, she has her own terrorist link. Other pardon issues. Vince Foster. Whitewater. Travelgate. New Square Four Pardons/Voting.
Hillary and Rwanda: She and Bill say that she urged him to intervene and she was instrumental. No memoirs, records, etc (including hers) points to that at all (Link).
Tax Returns: After months of calling for her tax returns (and evasion by her campaign), she releases them on a Friday afternoon right around 5pm - on the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr's death. What did we find? 109 million dollars for the couple in 8 years. Millions in paid speeches. Her husband (former President and in-her-hopes future First Gentleman) traveling the world to make deals with financiers in Kazakhstan, Saudi backers of the Clinton Presidential Library (lest we be reminded that 9/11 was mostly a product of Saudis), Ron Burkle, and Colombia.
Donorgate: From Norman Hsu, thousands of dollars from dishwashers, waiters and others whose addresses are dilapidated houses and overcharging donors like Kathy Callahan.
Experience: We're supposed to elect her based on experience. Unfortunately, she refused to allow people to see most of her First Lady schedules, notes, phone logs, etc. Only recently do people get redacted schedules (which mostly point out that she lied about NAFTA). Also, she had no security clearance (so no 3AM calls) and, "And during one of President Bill Clinton’s major tests on terrorism, whether to bomb Afghanistan and Sudan in 1998, Mrs. Clinton was barely speaking to her husband, let alone advising him, as the Lewinsky scandal sizzled (Patrick Healy)."
Senate Committees (and Sub-Committees): She's tried to hit Obama on not holding hearings on Afghanistan but the charges didn't really stick. Meanwhile, when she was on the Senate Intelligence Committee, she was urged to read the full NIE report. And? Of course she didn't.
Affiliations and friendships: She's really worried people won't vote for Barack because of Rev. Wright. But what about her defense of a child rapist, Thomas Alfred Taylor? She was "only doing her job" - but won't that come across as soft on crime? What about her affiliation in the religious group, "The Family"?
Earmarks: From the Huffington Post (h/t lookit), "According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, Clinton obtained 360 earmarks worth $2.2 billion from 2002 to 2006. This record establishes her as by far the worst abuser of earmarks among all presidential candidates in both parties."
Broken Campaign Promises: We'll ignore fmr. President Clinton's lies about gays and the military, etc. But Senator Clinton said she'd bring 200,000 new jobs to New York...and NY lost 240,000. Not totally her fault - it's a bad economy, President, etc. But let's remember - she doesn't know what she's doing.
Poor Campaigning: She's lost hugely so far to someone she labeled as "inexperienced." That's like the Yankees losing to an A-club team, right? Also, why can't she pay her bills? Or her campaign's health care?
This is all I have for now. Give me more and I'll put it in here. During the debate, Senator Clinton said this: "I have a lot of baggage, and everybody has rummaged through it for years." I think it's time that we had a little bit of spring cleaning.