Bill\'s Ex-Counsel: Hillary Is

Bill's Ex-Counsel: Hillary Is "Misleading The American Public"

Huffington Post   |   March 14, 2008 12:30 PM


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Greg Craig, former counsel to Bill Clinton and now Obama supporter, sat down for an interview with National Journal. His comments reflected more strongly a memo he had penned last week, suggesting that Hillary's claims of experience were overblown. An excerpt from the interview:

Q: But was that experience, do you think, that is -- having a lot of influence with advisers, giving private advice to her husband -- was that experience that has helped prepare her to be commander in chief?


Craig: Oh, I don't doubt that. The point that I am making is that her claims of the nature of that experience are overstated. The fact is she did not sit in on national security meetings. She did not have a security clearance. She did not attend meetings in the situation room. She conducted no negotiations. She did not manage any part of the national security bureaucracy. She did not have her own national security staff. That's the fact. Now the experience that she did have -- watching and sometimes sitting in the room where discussions were going on and also meeting heads of state and foreign ministers -- that is good experience, and it's invaluable to understanding how the world works when it comes to international organizations as well as international negotiations.

Read the whole interview here.

The Clinton camp responded quickly, noting a contradiction between this statement and other statements. Only last week Craig claimed:

When your entire campaign is based upon a claim of experience, it is important that you have evidence to support that claim. Hillary Clinton's argument that she has passed "the Commander- in-Chief test" is simply not supported by her record.

The comments by Craig come at a time when the Clinton camp is facing increasing scrutiny over the former First Lady's record.

The Boston Globe reported this morning that Sen. Clinton had less to do with the passage of the SCHIP program in the early 90s, and cites Republican Orrin Hatch who, with Sen. Ted Kennedy, helped spear the legislation:

"The White House wasn't for it. We really roughed them up" in trying to get it approved over the Clinton administration's objections, Hatch said in an interview. "She may have done some advocacy [privately] over at the White House, but I'm not aware of it."


"I do like her," Hatch said of Hillary Clinton. "We all care about children. But does she deserve credit for SCHIP? No - Teddy does, but she doesn't."


 
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- malrubius I'm a Fan of malrubius 3 fans permalink

Nader 08.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:26 PM on 03/14/2008
- iluvsam I'm a Fan of iluvsam 17 fans permalink

"The fact is she did not sit in on national security meetings. She did not have a security clearance. She did not attend meetings in the situation room. She conducted no negotiations. She did not manage any part of the national security bureaucracy. She did not have her own national security staff. "

The last I checked, Obama wasn't there either, but he's claiming HE'S ready. This goes both ways; Clinton can't say he's not qualified, yet want him for VP, and HE can't claim she has no experience and not ready, because NEITHER DOES HE.

The one thing that bothers me about Obama is that while Hillary was traveling around the world, he was off praying in that ridiculous cult of a church he goes to wasting his time praying to an imaginary friend. THAT should scare the hell out of everyone. Where are the great old atheist politicians such as Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln when you need them? We need a new period of Enlightenment. When are we going to get to the point when believing in a sky-god means you're CRAZY and not leadership material? UGH. Pathetic.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:18 PM on 03/14/2008
- mcfried I'm a Fan of mcfried 15 fans permalink

BS about the church look it. I guess getting jobs for Steel workers who had been put out of work is bad. You are either a troll, completely misinformed or a republican.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:28 PM on 03/16/2008
- checkmoot I'm a Fan of checkmoot 8 fans permalink
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How can McCain even pretend that he is qualified to lead the country ? Has he ever been married to a president ? All the way with Billary. Buy one, get one free !!!!!!!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:12 PM on 03/14/2008

Okay, I'll say it. There are many democrats that have nostalgia for the Clinton years, mainly because they were economically good. But integrity? Never a claim or a strong point of the Clintons. "Who cares if he got a BJ?" was the defense. I agree, but lying to the American public directly, and under oath, I do care about.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:08 PM on 03/14/2008

You can take a walk down the 8 years of Clinton Presidency, to recall the lies, distortions, scandals, lives cut short, snatching credit from others, and more at this CNN website. The people who toiled and made things happen in the Mid-East, Ireland, Eastern Europe, all forgotten. We never hear Senator Clinton acknowledge anyone else as having mattered in those accomplishment that she achieved single handedly. She couldn't even write her own book (Living History), so much experience. Really? Do we want another 4 years of that stuff?

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/clinton/timelines/timelines.html

Just browse a page or two - promise it'll give you the jitters, as you recall one bad judgment after another.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:57 PM on 03/14/2008
- suntzu I'm a Fan of suntzu 16 fans permalink
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Its odd that Mr. Craig feels that it is necessary for him to tell us that Hillary has been misleading us. Anybody with a normal set of eyes and ears and half a working brain already knows that. It all begins with "my 35 years of experience." The only value his article has is that it gives confirmation of what we already know from a Clinton insider. For that, much appreciation.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:51 PM on 03/14/2008
- init I'm a Fan of init 3 fans permalink

Don't let this election become nerve wrecking redundant. Hillary is blocking the first real candidate's place in life. This makes Nelson Mandela look lightweight. She knows if Obama does make it; her chances are null and void. IF McBush makes it; then you have really broken down the american people to the point they will take anyone, even Nader. . Now if someone has a better prediction., deals are made daily. Where are the Clintons tax returns and contributions? No the media is still stuck on "words and race." Obama's teachers, Obama ministers, Obama's nurses. Bill Bradley warned us. Remember this when it is too late. Do you think he may want to put her away? Well look at Spitzer. Do you think that they can go back to normal now (whatever normal is)? Something is seriously wrong from the beginning. I know. It happened within my family.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:46 PM on 03/14/2008

Of course Hillary is "misleading" the American people. What I want to know is what exactly is this "Commander-In-Cheif" test? Is this something she taught in her law classes? Where exactly is this test? I have to admit she certainly hasn't passed the "Management-In-Cheif" test; just look at her campaign strategy. Now she must resort to the Republican play book to try to win votes. If Bill was worried about his "legacy" he really shouldn't because it has been destroyed more since Hillary has determined she should be coronated than Monica ever could have dreamed.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:40 PM on 03/14/2008
- BluGrrl I'm a Fan of BluGrrl 6 fans permalink

Hillary is "misleading the American Public"

Well....DUH

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:38 PM on 03/14/2008

Duh ... of course she's been misleading .... look closely at the ladies life and record.

To the informed, Is this really news?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:38 PM on 03/14/2008
- simplify I'm a Fan of simplify 36 fans permalink
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Neocon you happy about our 12 billion of our tax dollars a month being spent in Iraq?...guess who's getting rich?.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:25 PM on 03/14/2008
- dr4Will I'm a Fan of dr4Will 10 fans permalink
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sure, we'll believe an Obama supporter criticising Senator Clinton--only huff post continue their cheap shots!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:23 PM on 03/14/2008
- riverhouse I'm a Fan of riverhouse 49 fans permalink

Greg Craig has been personal friends of the Clintons since their Yale Law School days and he was the lawyer who defended Clinton during his White House many trials. So you know he must have very serious reservations about the possibility of Hillary becoming president to write such a response to Hillary's "experience" claims. He throughly refutes her outlandish claims, as have other participants in these occasions she claims to have directly influenced. Craig knows the Clintons, he lived through the first Clinton presidency, and he clearly does not want to inflict another one on the nation. We should heed him.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:23 PM on 03/14/2008
- moda31 I'm a Fan of moda31 10 fans permalink

mislead is a generous description

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:20 PM on 03/14/2008
- BWonka I'm a Fan of BWonka 118 fans permalink
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Many of us who have found Hillary's campaign to be misleading or full of blantant lies, rascism and hatred, have left her and are now supporting Obama. She has no one but herself, Bill and her 'supporters (Ferraro et al) for her fall from the #1 spot.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:18 PM on 03/14/2008
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