Kennedy vs. Clinton.
According to an upcoming book on the Kennedy family, the late John F. Kennedy Jr. was planning to run for Daniel Patrick Moynihan's Senate seat in 2000. The heir to the Camelot legacy wanted to leave his struggling magazine George, and seriously considered finally beginning a long-anticipated career in politics. He had gone so far as to conduct polls to test his viability as a candidate. But Kennedy Jr. declined to run when he learned that Hillary wanted a piece of the action. In fact, according to author Laurence Learner, John-John was "angry" and "upset" that Mrs. Clinton thought she had the right to be New York's senator: "John watched with growing dismay as Hillary subtly insinuated herself into what he considered his state." If the First Lady wanted to run, Kennedy Jr. would not fight her, because "he was too much of a gentleman."
It wasn't the first time, according to the new book, that John-John helped Hillary out. It was also revealed that the young Kennedy failed to cover the Clinton sex scandal in George magazine in large part because of the stories that his father, President Kennedy, had had his own sexual antics.
Clinton Cash Cow.
It looks as if Hillary is finally publicly getting behind the campaign of John Kerry, as she and her husband are working to raise $10 million for the presidential nominee in 10 days. According to The Hill, Sen. Clinton "spoke up at a closed-door meeting last week between Kerry and Senate Democrats, urging colleagues to employ their own political networks to assist Kerry in fundraising. 'I think we can all help,'" she told her colleagues.
Hillary the Hero.
The American Legion named Hillary an "Unsung Hero" of the 108th Congress at its 44th Annual Washington Conference. The woman whose husband famously avoided military service received the honor for securing a record increase in funding for veteran's health care this fiscal year.
In conferring the honor, American Legion National Commander John Brieden credited Hillary for working with ordinary vets to secure the funding increase: "By old-fashioned grass-roots advocacy, the men and women of The American Legion fought hard for this legislation. I commend Sen. Clinton for taking a leadership role in making that happen." Hillary, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that "the men and women who served our country are the best this nation has to offer, and they deserve to be treated as the best. We need to be there with open arms when our veterans come home and we must continue to stand with them over the years."
Hillary's Invisible Hand.
With all the demagoguery by liberals, such as John Kerry and Tom Daschle, about the so-called "outsourcing" of American jobs to foreign countries, it was interesting to hear Hillary defend the practice. While appearing on CNN with Lou Dobbs, she was accused of allowing Indian company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has a center in Buffalo, to take away jobs from New Yorkers. "Of course, I know they outsource," said Hill. "But they have also brought jobs and they intend to be a source of new jobs in the state."
The senator went on to tell her host that outsourcing and free trade also provided opportunities for America to attract jobs from around the world. "We are not against all outsourcing; we are not in favor of putting up fences," she said, also adding that Americans were capable of competing against anyone if they were given the opportunity to do so.
Green Day.
Roll Call reports that friends of Hillary had been hoping to land her a coveted seat at the annual St. Patrick's Day luncheon that House Speaker Dennis Hastert throws for Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, but she has been left out in the cold. As such, "Clinton allies in town believe that the senator, who has played a big role with her husband in promoting the peace process, should have gotten a seat at the table." However, Sen. Clinton's office said she is "fine" with scheduling her own one-on-one with Ahern, who's officially known as the "Taoiseach" in Ireland. "Sen. Clinton is eagerly looking forward to seeing [Prime Minister Ahern], and pleased he could make time for her on a very busy and important day for the Irish," said Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines.
