Strange Bedfellows.
Hillary recently joined with fellow Armed Services Committee member Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.) to introduce the National Guard and Reserves Reform Act for the 21st Century, which is legislation designed to benefit members of the National Guard and Reserves. Sen. Clinton appeared with Sen. Graham at a press conference to speak about the vital role of reservists, and she commended Sen.Graham for his leadership on the issue. Hillary told reporters that "When it comes to our men and women who serve, I don’t think we should be reserved in the assistance we provide for them and their families. So the very least that we can do is to make their lives easier during these difficult times. That means covering their healthcare if they lose coverage, and helping their employers do the right thing and cover their civilian salaries." Some political pundits thought it strange that Hillary would form such a prominent political alliance with Sen. Graham, who led the effort to impeach her husband. As a House member in 1999, Graham was one of the impeachment managers who presented the case for removing then-President Bill Clinton from office at his Senate trial. Said then-Rep. Graham on the Senate floor: "It’s never been hard to find out whether Bill Clinton committed perjury or whether he obstructed justice. That ain’t a hard one for me." Hillary, for her part, seems to have let bygones be bygones, perhaps because it isn’t particularly seemly for a presidential candidate to appear vindictive. Her spokesman said that "When it comes to getting things done for New York, we don’t ask for party ID." A Capitol Hill source said, "Maybe this is Hillary’s way of paying back Lindsey Graham for taking her husband to task for cheating on her."
Money Solves All Problems.
Sen. Clinton says that NYC’s Chinatown, suffering from the effects of terrorism and fears of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), needs help from the federal government. "The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. must come forward with some of the federal dollars that we secured for the LMDC and use it here in Chinatown," Mrs. Clinton said. She also said that she and other officials would send a letter to the development corporation requesting money to promote tourism and provide consumer discounts in Chinatown, somewhere around the amount of $500,000. Hillary has also called for a six-month extension of unemployment benefits, claiming that America is "in a doubly dangerous time because not only are jobs drying up and not being created, but the safety net programs that people should be able to fall back on are also being shredded." No news yet on how much this proposal would cost, but no doubt it will cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
Running Next Year?
Veteran political reporter Robert Novak recently said that "It’s still a long shot, but it really could happen. Hillary in ‘04!" Novak noted that while Sen. Clinton "is not about to announce" her candidacy for the 2004 White House race, she could still be thrust into the race "without her volition." The reason Hill could thrill in 2004? According to Novak, "The prospect of another Bush-Clinton race-with a younger Bush and a female Clinton-generates hope and fear among Democrats and Republicans alike." Democrats are hoping that Hillary can duplicate her picture-perfect 2000 New York senatorial campaign, but "fear she could bring on one of the periodic Democratic washouts." Meanwhile, Republicans hope that by her running so prematurely, the administration could possibly get rid of Mrs. Clinton at long last. At the same time, GOP insiders hope that she doesn’t run a campaign as smooth as she did in 2000. Novak speculated that it’s possible that no nominee will emerge before the Democratic convention begins, which will give Hillary the chance to step forward and save the party. "Who else would the Democrats turn to but the woman who stood aloof from her husband’s escapades, won election in a strange state and then made a mark for herself in the U.S. Senate as a shrewd, industrious freshman member"?
