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For Her the Bell Tolls,* by Sen. Hillary Clinton

March 25, 2008 11:19 AM

The First Lady took off her flak jacket, discarding it like a blanket on a hot night.

Bosnian sniper bullets awaited her on the ground.

"That below," said Sinbad, motioning to Tuzla as the plane descended.

"Is war," the First Lady said. "In war, it is necessary to have discipline."

"And to live under that discipline it is necessary we will die?" asked Sheryl Crow.

She clutched her guitar as if it were her child.

"Without discipline we will all die anyway," said the First Lady.

The airplane began to dip.

"How are you so brave in the face of death?" asked a sergeant.

"I've done this before," she said. "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

The sergeant turned to her.

"Isn't it pretty to think so?" he asked.

- jpt

* with apologies to Ernest Hemingway.

March 25, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (50)

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Bush+Clinton+Bush+Clinton= Same old crap.
Bush+Clinton+Bush+Obama= CHANGE.
Can I please have a president who has poise and character enough NOT to engage in the muckraking and mudslinging we expect from the Republicans? I'm to the point where even the sound of her voice is irritating. When was the last time she said anything positive about anything? People talk about her experience and how it's good for us, completely ignoring the "experience" within the Bush cabinet and how good THAT'S been for this country.

Posted by: Jay In Dallas | Mar 26, 2008 11:23:48 AM

Let's see. We have two "leftist" Democrats duking it out to the end. Which one can cover up their mistakes the best?

Both trying to push the hardest for what they lack the most? Experience and judgment!

She has little experience, he chooses poor relationships. Which of these two is more serious when it comes to the "big picture?"

Ed Rendell will be in Hillary's cabinet, right? along with many of the same people Bill had in his. Since their platforms are almost the same, it doesn't matter who gets in, right? But, I believe Obama would choose a broader range of people to help him make world-wide decisions-young people with new ideas.

Posted by: Patricia | Mar 26, 2008 11:21:40 AM

The media has a prohibition telling anything positive about Hillary Clinton and anything negative about Barak Obama! They are telling her to drop but he himself can’t even get the needed delegates number to lock up the nomination! The media has made a political Humpty Dumpty out of Sen. Obama. For Sen. Obama, Richardson endorsement must have been like taking an Aspirin for a string of migraines he's been having lately; since his buddies Rozko and Rev. Wright started self-destructing, and dragging Sen. Obama down with them. But his headaches are not going to go away anytime soon. Rev. Wright’s rhetoric might have done irretrievable and extensive harm for Sen. Obama. While undoing of Obama campaign is happening in the background, but as usual, predictably, the Washington media made the Richardson endorsement it into an big event, I don’t think Sen. Obama’s speech or Richardson endorsement going to distract the voters from Rev. Wright graphic slandering of America. If you ask an average voter on the street, they will tell you that have not seen Sen. Obama’s race speech or the Richardson endorsement, but have seen Rev Wright’s tantrums. The media establishment put Mr. Obama on a pedestal—often undeservingly, getting carried away─ like Maureen Dowd of New York Times called him "the golden boy"..."the blessed child!" William Kristol, George Will, and others who cheered us all along into the quagmire of Iraq in a big way and apologized for all the Republican incompetency and corruption all through the decades now have declared their advance praise for Sen. Barak Obama. Mr. Obama had told us that he was going to change everything in Washington, change the status quo, change the ways in which we have our political divisions. So that in those Oprah moments people went crazy with euphoria, with the idea that their true savior of America has arrived, that they have been waiting for all these years! Their madness was an over-reaction to the enormous destruction of the Bush years, and but few people realized that most of it was just hype and marketing; all that was nothing but Oprah style made up hyperbolae, made up by his campaign managers, David Axelrod and David Plouffe. But it was the media who placed Mr. Obama on a very high branch who made him into a political Humpty Dumpty. The truth of the matter was that Mr. Obama is no Mr. Clean as he claims and comes from a very corrupt system of Chicago politics. Washington media establishment, the same people who brought us Iraq war, wants Sen. Obama to be the Democratic nominee; they have been dictating that to the whole country from the beginning and I know it would be a big mistake! I am sure the Republicans are going to make Rev. Wright his running-mate in the fall. They will tie Rev. Wright around Sen. Obama’s neck like an albatross! Having failed to win even one major state during the primaries and having manipulated the caucuses with small groups of zealots, but now not in play for the presidential election, Sen. Obama is going to find himself stuck in doldrums! After the Rezko and Wright scandals Sen. Obama is quickly losing support among independents and men. The coming primaries are going to demonstrate that fact. Remember, old Ralph is in the game too. If Sen. Obama is the Democratic Party nominee, that will be end of story for Democrats. The best chance of winning the White House for the Democrats is still with Sen. Hillary Clinton. There's no hard and fast rule you can find that in the Democratic National Committee’s Nomination Rule Book that Superdelegates are supposed to ratify the delegate leader; isn't that why Superdelegates are there in the first place? Democratic Party Superdelegates can save America from having George Bush's third term from voting for Sen. Hillary Clinton. As for Sen. Obama I can't believe he can save anybody from anything "wright now" and we still have to see how he saves himself?
P.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton has widened her lead in Pennsylvania up to 17 points in the latest polls! And there’s more to come…

Posted by: charleschaplin | Mar 26, 2008 10:22:06 AM

For do not ask for whom the bell tolls it tolls for thee, Sen Obama!

Posted by: charleschaplin | Mar 26, 2008 10:13:40 AM

Barak Obama is all jive! How can he hold a candle to charitable work Bill Clinton has done around the world? David Brooks points out in his Tuesday's (3-25-08) column in The New York Times “Obama lawyers successfully prevented re-votes in Florida and Michigan.” This disfranchising millions of Democratic voters in those states, reminds me of The Supreme Court Handing over Florida vote to George Bush. Is this the new era of politics that Sen. Obama is talking about, or is it politics as usual, circa Florida 2000? More and more Obama campaign reminds me of those infamous Republican dirty tricks that brought us eight years of George Bush, Iraq war and other disasters, and all of that of course with the help of Washington media establishment. The more Sen. Obama strains to speak of his new era of politics in America, less and less of it seemed real. Sen. Obama should practice what he preaches! Obviously, Sen. Obama is a liar and a hypocrite, and that’s a no jive, man...

Posted by: charleschaplin | Mar 26, 2008 10:11:27 AM

Nice work Jake, this is a perfect example of why 28% of Hillary supporters won't vote for Obama in the general election!

Posted by: Firefighter | Mar 26, 2008 10:11:07 AM

Having Landed under fire several times in South east Asia it's not a thing you forget - My thought is it's another attempt to rewite history.

Hillary also had comments about Senator Obama's minister, Let's also address Senator Obama not backing away from it He is just following her lead.

When the Clinton's were in the White House, the President made a comment about "How He Loaths the Military" I nerver heard Hillary back away from that comment. I feel That is she is a true "Commander In Chief" the Clinton's need to apologize the the Men and Woman that make up the US Military. This is called Leadership Hillary

Posted by: Terry | Mar 26, 2008 8:13:38 AM

da da da da da...i'm lovin' it!

Posted by: caligirl | Mar 26, 2008 12:00:42 AM

Lots of sleep deprivation, apparently. She's been repeating this story all over the place.

Here, from CBS (sorry jpt):
"In a March 17 speech in Washington, Clinton said of the Bosnia trip: "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

That account was still posted on her campaign Website Tuesday."

Still, we can't deny how she defended SCHIP and FMLA from those Balkan snipers. Oh, wait...

Posted by: Tungsten | Mar 25, 2008 11:36:32 PM

Ugh, I am reminded just how much I detest Hemingway's writing style. Thanks for taking me back to high school English!

In re: snipers or no snipers - it's true that the average person cannot remember everything. However, if someone shot at me, I think that would stick. My father in law still ducks a bit when he watches war movies.

Posted by: An | Mar 25, 2008 10:26:28 PM

This is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen!

Posted by: dan | Mar 25, 2008 9:47:05 PM

Oops, it wasn't a 3 am call. It was the wrong alarm clock I set for baking cookies.

Posted by: user168 | Mar 25, 2008 7:43:49 PM

"So what how many trips do you think she took as first lady this is all bs she is smart well traveled and her husband was the only two term President since FDR ." -Bishop

Obviously, Bishop knows absolutely nothing about US history or current affairs. Our current president, George W. Bush, is a two-term president. Ronald Reagan was a two-term president. Richard Nixon was a two-term president. Dwight Eisenhower was a two-term president. That's at least FOUR Presidents since FDR besides Bill Clinton that have served two-terms. Your lying, ignorant posting is absolutely disgusting. But considering who you support, I'm not surprised.

Posted by: David | Mar 25, 2008 5:53:59 PM

The Clinton's have lied all their lives, they are compulsive liars. On the witness stand, and they have been called there OFTEN, they say.."I don't recall" or something like that. When has Obama been called to the witness stand? ummm. When has his crazy, over the top pastor? ummmm. Gee. But you folks prefer the lying, cheating, stealing, murderous, scandalous, cut throat, secretive, polarizing, candidate, whose former president husband has ALREADY been IMPEACHED & DISBARRED... GIVE ME A BREAK. WHAT ARE YOU THINK? The world, not only America, needs a change.

Posted by: lee from Treasure Island Fl | Mar 25, 2008 4:39:57 PM

US Veteran just thought you should know:
Hillary's speech on the economy to help the housing crisis is similar to the memo sent from Senator Obama to the Federal Reserve Chairman and the Treasury Secretary. Senator Obama sent his memo on March 22,2007, how ironic that Hillary announces her plan a year later. Why would you vote for someone who lies and takes credit for others ideas...?

Posted by: tiredofthelackofknowledgeofvoters | Mar 25, 2008 4:23:37 PM

Roger Miller:

"...the mind can play tricks on your memories and reinforce or mute certain memories..."

Why don't you file a Friend of the Court brief with this logic and see if you can get Scooter Libby's conviction reversed and expunged?

Posted by: Nick in Virginia | Mar 25, 2008 4:20:24 PM

Mona
Everyone should care. Hillary is running for President, yet she cannot remember whether she ran from sniper fire upon arriving in Bosnia with her daughter, and when she is caught in this misrepresentation, she blames it on sleep deprivation. Help us all if she is sleep deprived when she recieves that 3am call.

Posted by: nita | Mar 25, 2008 2:45:33 PM

Hey Toby, Keep drinking the Clinton Koolade, she didn't just mis-speak once. She has told this blatant Lie four times since last December. She just got caught with her trousers down. Kinda reminds me of Bill.

Posted by: CW | Mar 25, 2008 2:28:38 PM

Hey Sean
1 lone senator voted for the war. WOW

Posted by: toby | Mar 25, 2008 1:51:01 PM

Clinton is so brave, so courageous, so stoic in such a dangerous situation with snipers waiting. I can only infer from this that she is ready to lead and answer the 3am phone.

Posted by: RonPaulSupporter | Mar 25, 2008 1:20:04 PM

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