HRC the Right Winger.
Hillary is scheduled to appear in Boston on January 19 to deliver a commentary on youth and the politics of faith. The Rev. Eugene Rivers asked Sen. Clinton to keynote the Ella J. Baker House's awards ceremony. The Boston Herald notes that Hillary has been a visible voice for faith in politics, and they quote a 2001 speech of hers at New York's Abyssinian Baptist Church in which she told the gathering: "The founders had faith in reason... I would add they had faith in God, from whom ability to reason is a great gift... If government goes too far, and seeks to go beyond separation from religion to outright hostility toward religion, you can end up with something like the Soviet Union??¢â???¬ ¦.Government works in partnership with religious institutions... to promote public purposes-feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless. Faith inspires those good works, to be sure. But tax dollars are properly used to channel the energies of the faithful in a direction that helps our society as a whole." Is this yet another maneuver by Hillary to help avoid being painted as a Kerry like leftist in 2008? According to Mr. Rivers, it's a smart political move. "Liberals, especially those high-minded liberals, really don't understand the faith factor," he said. "This move by Sen. Clinton should be particularly important to Democrats given the significance of the values issue in the recent election." So for any voters who support the war in Iraq, are against gay marriage and illegal immigration, and who think faith should play a larger role in government, then Candidate Clinton is the woman for you. Maybe within the next four years Hillary will also claim to support the 2nd Amendment and the right to life. Yeah, right.
Does Hillary Love New York?
The recently released Senate budget for office travel showed that New York's senior senator, Chuck Schumer, spent nearly four times as much time visiting the state they both represent. Sen. Schumer traveled 71 times to the Empire State, while Hillary went only 18 times. The records show that Sen. Schumer spent nearly 50% more from his Senate budget for official travel going to New York than Hillary did. While Sen. Schumer took substantially more trips paid with taxpayer dollars, Sen. Clinton complemented her official travel with more than 20 in-state trips footed by private groups. Sen. Schumer didn't have any privately funded New York trips. "Sen. Clinton traveled frequently and extensively all over New York State last year, and will continue to do so in the years to come to meet with her constituents and further promote economic growth throughout the state," spokesman Philippe Reines said.
Most Admired, Again.
For the third year in a row, Hillary Clinton was named the most admired woman in the United States. The poll, conducted by USA Today, CNN and Gallup placed Hillary first with 13%, followed by TV Talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey. First Lady Laura Bush ranked third, followed by national security advisor Condoleezza Rice and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Ukraine Girl.
Hillary was following the election situation in Ukraine closely, and says that the United States should back Ukraine's struggle for democracy by inviting the new president to Washington for a state visit, but only if the elections are free and fair. "Today, amid the 'Orange Revolution,' the Ukrainian people are once again demonstrating that they will not give up in the movement towards democracy and freedom," she said. "There must be a civil society where democratic values live in citizens' hearts and minds, where people stand up for what is right and where the rule of law, not the rule of crime and corruption, prevails." Hillary also declared that if the run-off election turned out to be free and fair, "the U.S. should immediately explore the willingness of the new Ukrainian government to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization."
General Disappointment.
Those with high hopes that Colin Powell would run against Hillary in 2006 will have to look elsewhere, as Powell told reporters that he won't seek political office, including governor or senator in New York. A recent poll on the hypothetical match-up between the general and the first lady actually showed Hillary as having a slight lead.
