Leader of the Pack?
The New York Post reports that a growing number of Democratic lawmakers are interested in making Hillary the next Senate Democratic leader if Sen. Tom Daschle (S.D.)retires In 2004. The reasoning behind such a move would be to raise the party's profile in the face of a popular President at a time when both houses of Congress are controlled by Republicans. Coincidentally for Hillary, the promotion would also offer her a high-profile position from which to pursue the White House in 2008. According to one source, the move "makes perfect sense," even though "some people may have a hard time with it." "Some people" might well include Sen. Daschle, who is insisting that he will be running for re-election in 2004, and Democratic Senators Chris Dodd (Conn.), Harry Reid (Nev.), Dick Durbin (Ill.)and Byron Dorgan (N.D.), all of whom are reputed to be very interested in leading the Senate Democrats. Senate Republicans are also concerned that Hillary might seek the leadership post. Sen. George Allen (Va.) said in the latest GOP fundraising letter that he's mobilizing the party's resources to fight off the danger posed by Sen. Clinton's becoming her party's next Senate leader: "It would be a nightmare if Democrats take over and Hillary becomes majority leader. We need to keep it from happening, said Allen." For her part, Hillary has insisted that she is not interested in the position.
The Eyes Have It.
Recently, Hillary said that Sharon Stone would be perfect to play her in the upcoming A&E channel TV docudrama about her life. Stone will first need to visit an ophthalmologist and get several new pairs of contact lenses, because Sen. Clinton has a history of having different eye colors. According to the Drudge Report, Hillary just settled on a fresh bright baby-blue hue for eyes in recent photoshoots-including the cover of Time magazine - and in various public appearances, which, Drudge said, is "a dramatic transformation from her natural hazel tint." This is quite a change from the bespectacled look she fashioned as a student and as Arkansas' first lady. An eyewitness confided to Drudge that Hillary "started experimenting with different blazing blue colors at the White House. She even tried turquoise contact lenses once, but it was not a great look for her."
Blonde Ambition.
Of course, Hillary's eyes aren't the only things that have changed color over the years. Her famous hair has also morphed from a mousy brown to a dirty blond. It seems only fitting, then, that Sen. Clinton was supposed to make a cameo appearance in the summer blockbuster, Legally Blonde2 Red White and Blonde," with superstar actress/producer Reese Witherspoon. Hillary was to play a Delta Nu sorority sister of Elle, Witherspoon's ditzy, blonde character. In the end, though, Witherspoon and her company apparently nixed Hillary's appearance in the movie, fearing that "it would seem too partisan." Said Witherspoon about having Hillary in her movie: "We didn't want to sway it from one side or another and everyone is expecting a liberal bent `from Hollywood anyway. This was really about bigger ideas than which side we'd be affiliated with." Although Witherspoon cut Sen. Clinton out of the film, the young actress still had warm words for that other "blonde" lawyer: "I can't wait to read the book, and I do hope that there will be a female President in our lifetime. I think Hillary is a great possibility."
Hill's World View.
In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, Hillary attacked President Bush and questioned the effectiveness of U.S. intelligence. Although she continued to claim that she supported the use of force in Iraq, she nevertheless questioned the administration's use of intelligence information and criticized President Bush's relationship with Europe. When asked whether she believed misleading information was used to launch the war in Iraq, Hillary stated that she was "not ready to answer 'yes' to that question." According to Sen. Clinton, "the real question is have we obtained accurate information, or have the findings been altered for military or political purposes?" Then she went on to praise her husband's close relationship with European leaders during his period in office: "[F]or eight years we were on the right course to a globalized and integrated world, which is coming, one way or the other." She also said "a single, unified world is a perspective we Democrats have not successfully made clear." The magazine noted that Hillary is the only prominent Democrat willing to publicly admit that the party is seeking to form and be a part of this new "single, unified world."
