In recent days, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has boasted of her eight years of experience during the presidency of her husband. There’s no question that she had strong influence with her husband and that she met with world leaders and scores of politicians.
My antennae went up, however, when I heard Sen. Clinton tout her eight years of experience in the White House, a clear dig at her Senate colleague and competition for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.). Obama, for his part, responded on Monday night by saying: “I think the fact of the matter is that Sen. Clinton is claiming basically the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency as her own, except for the stuff that didn’t work out, in which case she says she has nothing to do with it.” Exactly.
Is she taking credit for welfare reform — a bill that President Clinton vetoed twice before signing that significantly reduced the number of people on public assistance? Is she taking credit for NAFTA, a trade agreement that has spurred trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico that has created well-paying jobs for Americans? What is she taking credit for, exactly?
Since she’s in the mood for taking credit for the Clinton administration’s accomplishments, why won’t she release her correspondence with her husband during their time in the White House? If we’re truly supposed to judge her on her record amassed while living and apparently working at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., why can’t we examine the documents she wrote that could shed light on and offer insight into her policy positions?
Oh, and let’s not forget how FBI files found their way into the residence, the firings in the White House Travel Office and the marital infidelity that has forever placed an asterisk next to the Clinton administration. Will she also take credit for these historical events? Are these subjects now open once again for examination and review to shed light on her experience as first lady?
My guess is that this is a Pandora’s Box best left closed by Sen. Clinton. If she persists in talking about her White House experience, it will remind the American people once again about what they experienced during eight years of an administration marked by parsing, double-talk, lying under oath and impeachment. Best to leave those inside the box and out of sight.