Fox in the Henhouse.
During a time of a potential war with Iraq and tensions with North Korea, Sen. Clinton has been tapped for a post on the prestigious Armed Services Committee that oversees national security and the Pentagon. It is not known whether she pursued the position or was selected by Democratic leader Tom Daschle. With her appointment to the committee, Hillary has the ability to increase her profile in the Senate and her voice on national security, giving her even more tools for a White House bid. In order to look presidential, Sen. Clinton is preparing to deliver a major speech on national security issues this week at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. Hillary says that she has long been interested in national security issues and has been an advocate for rank-and-file members of the military and veterans, despite the fact that her husband dodged the draft and wrote that his friends "loathed" the military. She vowed to use the committee to ensure New York’s military facilities and defense companies win a growing share of military and homeland security funding. "From this seat, I will be better able to support New York’s military bases and ensure that New York’s defense industry continues to play a significant role in fulfilling the needs of our armed forces," she said. Because of Senate rules, Hillary will have to leave her post on the Budget Committee in order to move to Armed Services. She also serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee.
Battle for New York.
President Bush’s may have negated any attempts by Hillary to run for President next year with his decision to hold the 2004 Republican convention in New York. This move puts Democrats on the defensive because it means the GOP will really try to win the state for the first time since 1984, and which would make it impossible for any Democrat to beat him. Experts contend that if New York votes for Bush in 2004, it could change the whole national dynamic and raise real questions about Hillary’s potential as a national candidate. After all, if Republicans make it in New York, they can make it anywhere. In retrospect, Democrats in general and Hillary in particular may end up regretting their party’s decision to hold their 2004 convention in Ted Kennedy’s Boston, a symbol of their liberal base.
Hollywood Hates Hillary?
Actor James Woods, who is playing former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in an upcoming made-for-TV movie, didn’t have anything nice to say about the mayor’s putative Senate opponent in a recent interview. He said that he "disabused" his liberal Hollywood colleagues "of the notion that everybody thinks that Hillary Clinton would make a great empress." Woods also said, "Rudy went to over 200 [9/11] funerals. Sen. Clinton went to zero. That’s a simple statistic you never read." Unfortunately for the actor, Sen. Clinton’s camp was quick to point out that his statement wasn’t true. Woods’ comments were "factually inaccurate and extremely inappropriate," said Hillary’s spokeswoman Jennifer Hanley. Miss Hanley went on to note that Mrs. Clinton attended many police and firefighter funerals and gave a eulogy at the service for FDNY chaplain Father Mychal Judge.
NY vs. NJ.
When jokingly asked by a reporter whether she planned a Senate investigation of the bungled call by NFL officials that helped doom the New York Giants in a playoff game, a suddenly animated Hillary said that she "watched the game-we wuz robbed," mimicking the New York Post’s headline skewering the NFL refereeing gaffe. Sen. Clinton then turned to spokesman Philippe Reines and said, "We should do something about this. . . . But I don’t want to get greedy because the Jets are doing so good." Then she carefully noted the existence of the Buffalo Bills by saying she roots "for all three of the New York teams." When someone pointed out that the Jets and Giants actually play in New Jersey, Hillary joked that she’d "always considered New Jersey a suburb of New York." New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg then told reporters, "I’m back and I’m ready to defend New Jersey and its pride and prominence and its teams. It’s funny because we both have the same perspective: I’ve always considered New York a suburb of New Jersey."
