Hillary Comes Out of the Bill Closet: But How Does She Really Feel?

I am NOT HIM! Hear me roar!

The loose lips parade of outbursts has replaced swine flu as the national epidemic of the moment. And there's no vaccine in sight for this 223-year-old unruly American problem.

But even Arlen Specter's gamely stiff spine in the face of spittle on his coat from health care plan protesters invoking heavenly wrath -- whose fury is scarier for politicians, God's or voters on the rampage? -- pales in comparison with Hillary Clinton's extraordinary exercise of free speech in an unguarded Congolese moment.

That same news media Barack Obama today accused (again) of "distorting things," does seem so far to have mutilated the whole meaning and sense of Hillary's angry comments about herself, her husband, and their respective places in the world.

"My husband is not the Secretary of State!" she responded to a question that may have been misinterpreted. "I am!" And she wasn't done: "I'm NOT going to be channeling my husband!" Yes! You go, girl!

Far from being a misstep featured for comment on the CNN Twitter board, this was a hugely liberating moment for the former First Lady, ex-Senator and, in fact, Secretary of State and spouse of an unemployed cheater.

I've never been a huge Hillary fan, but this was both heartbreaking and endearing, watching the cold steel and dispassion of the campaigner and too-often back seat passenger to power, explode into the molten lava that's been percolating all these years. Maybe it's been roiling around inside her, if you read Carl Bernstein's bio of her, since she showed up in Little Rock to marry Bill giving up her own promising DC career, and found him in flagrante with a young aide.

Even with the overlay of Mmes. Spitzer and Sanford, Hillary Clinton had remained the poster woman for the puzzlement of why anyone would repeatedly absorb such public humiliation.

Most recently, Bill arguably upstaged his wife yet again when he played the international broker in the freeing of two journalists in North Korea. After reading obsessively about it, I'm still not sure how exactly that went down. But it did appear that Bill had, as he often does, gotten applause for his role and snatched an inexpensive victory from the jaws of a larger lifetime of reminders of his self-absorption and incessant competition for the limelight.

I believe he does good work in the world. Certainly the two Current TV women needed to be back home, whether he was the beard or the actual negotiator. And something has kept this fascinating couple together all these years; I'm just as happy to believe it's love. I hope that's in there somewhere. But I also hope she feels better now. I certainly feel better about her after this dramatic blow-out. Maybe she's come out of her closet when it comes to Bill.

While her boss was struggling with his perpetual road campaign and declining poll numbers, the Secretary flicked the former Prez like a bug from her lapel in a couple of sentences, even as she was delivering $17 million in humanitarian aid to one of the more stricken countries in Africa.

Now that's impressive. Maybe she should be doing all the Democrats' town hall meetings on health care reform.

Follow Phil Bronstein on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PhilBronstein

Comments

[alphabet99]

loved it. love her in these kick a** moments.

[CarmelApple]

I am a woman speaking from a woman's perspective therefore I should be able to voice my opinion about women and their hormonal issues without being censored..­.....

Again I state that there is only one word that describes Hillary's outburst..­..........­... MENOPAUSE. She's a human being just like the rest of us.

[Audrey Canada]

Hillary Clinton is my hero - for all the right reasons.

She delivered a clear, resounding message when she answered that degrading question, ie:
Don't mess with ME.

I love the woman. We should all have even half of her strength, patience, brilliance and success.

She would have been a great President. She has also done an impressive amount of work as a Senator on behalf of senior citizens and would never have thrown senior citizens under the bus the way Obama just did by cutting a smelly backroom deal with Billy Tauzin, allowing Pharma to keep ripping off the elderly by over-charging for necessary medications.

[theoriginalfeminazi]

Hillary is involved in a complete Catch-22 situation. When women first started getting to high places in the workplace, virtually ALL of them were what I'll call "coattailers", for lack of a better word. They inherited, married, or otherwise got where they were through family and personal relationships. Think Christy Hefner, Katharine Graham, Margaret Mead, etc. The world had changed enough to ALLOW them to do their jobs once they had them, but not enough that they could get there on their own without that leg up.

Even though HIllary is probably where she is a result of Bill's political success (and vice versa), it's likely that the first woman president will be someone LIKE her. Elizabeth Dole didn't stand on her own, and it used to be that the best way for a woman to get a seat in Congress was to take her husband's seat after he died in office. It's really not a fair criticism of ANY woman who breaks the glass ceiling with a little help from her friends, when that usually needs to happen first to break the ice for the rest of us. At least that's how it's gone down in law, medicine, and corporate America. If no one like Hillary breaks through soon, it will probably be several more decades before we see a woman president. I hope that I'm around to see it, but I'm not optomistic after watching Hillary's campaign.

[SonyaInTx]

Hillary has some seriously thin skin. When asked about the president, shwe automatically thought they were talking about Bill when it was Barack they were really asking about. It shows that Hillary has a huge chip on her shoulder.

If the tables were reversed, and it was Bill who was asked about Hillary, do you think he would jump on that woman? Methinks not!

[lbicomber]

She wasn't asked about "the President". The question as presented to her was "Thank you. Mrs. Clinton, we've all heard about the Chinese contracts in this country. The interference is from the World Bank against this contract. What does MR. CLINTON think through the mouth of Mrs. Clinton and what does Mr. Mutombo think on this situation? Thank you very much."

More importantly, what does your husband think?

[Poldolino]

I love Hillary when she's being assertive! It's her element.

And I bet Bill likes her that way too.

I think all the signs are that the Clintons are having the time of their life.

Finally, officially, Hillary is the one with the pants on and Bill's job is to schmooze up to people.

Thus righting a division of labor that's been the wrong way round for about 30 years.

[angiemomma]

It's about time Hillary said something like that...Goo­d for you, Hillary!!!

[Jamchinadian]

The media, including the Conservative Narrative Network have been making a mountain out of a molehill. I saw the clip - over and over, as the media have insisten on looping it. Sure she was peeved. Sure she was angry. But, geez people, that was hardly an explosion. It was an offensive question - due to a translation error we hear - but the question that was read to her WAS offensive. There's no two ways about that. She responded and moved on. Is she not a human being???

SPalin talks about death panels, Mockman about re-education camps; Lout Dobbs, Lush Rimbald, Michele Mall-kin, SHannity and others spew venom and incendiary remarks daily. And yet - this is what the media choose to focus on? They are not worthy of that name.

[Raugiel]

I'm not sure why this is getting so much attention. Her answer was reasonable an totally appropreate. It is unfortunate that the question was mistranslated or misspoken, but the question as it was told to her was rude and inappropreate. Her response makes sense to me.

[lamberton]

I found her answer appropriate, sarcastic rather than angry, and very,very funny.

[itolduso]

"Even with the overlay of Mmes. Spitzer and Sanford, Hillary Clinton had remained the poster woman for the puzzlement of why anyone would repeatedly absorb such public humiliatio­n.">>>>>>>­>> I've got news for you Mr. Bronstein.­...When a man acts shamefully, the shame is his......n­ot his wife's, not his mother's, not his priest's..­..... HE'S AN ADULT - HE OWNS IT. Hillary's response to a question that - as stated - was insulting and disrespect­ful....was honest, appropriate, and RIGHTEOUS! It had nothing to do with jealousy, repressed anger at her husband, or 'humiliation' for his sexual adventures. It had nothing to do with HIM, and everything to do with not being spoken to with the respect that SHE'S EARNED.

[wreckdiver]

Ding, ding, ding!

We have a winner!

[bronceye]

What I took away from this outburst is this. Hillary is Sec. of State. A high profile post, but purely a mouthpiece for the President Her personal views and opinions are for the President, not the public. Whether the fact that the people who openly mocked and shamed her were the people who allowed Bill a huge humanitarian coup or whether the fact that she was alone in the Congo while Bill was alone in Vegas contributed is personal. She is a public servant, not a personal traveler. Sec. of State is a diplomatic position requiring diplomacy. Snarling at a young and curious mind is very undiplomatic and akin to shock and awe of a psyche. Her ego has always bubbled to the surface, this time, it bubbled in an "Ugly American" sort of way. Anyway, Happy B Day, Bill. Hillary, get in shape, you look like a large dollop of warm pudding in that African chair. At least, insist on a table to hide behind.

[lbicomber]

"akin to shock and awe of the psyche"?

Good one.

You forgot the snark tag, though.

[OldSchoolLiberal]

Yeah, good for her. I am sorry though that Congolese press conferences are so "out of the way" but I guess that is the way things are.

[mtnghost]

This non-story really irks me. It's hard to take anyone seriously who wants to focus on it. In the meantime, everyone is ignoring the real story, which is the epidemic of rapes being committed against women, men and children in Eastern Congo. THAT'S THE STORY DUH. THAT WAS WHAT HRC WAS TRYING TO DRAW INTO THE PUBLIC EYE WITH HER VISIT. A dust up over a bad translation is NOT the story, it is the distraction.

[aroundthelake]

I couldn't agree more. Clinton's comments at the town hall in DRC has gotten more attention than her entire 14 day trip to seven countries throughout Africa. The the sexual violence happening in the DRC, the complete exploitation of millions of people in the name of resource extraction of minerals that allow us to have laptops and cell phone, and not to mention the millions who have died in the Congo as a result of Africa's multi-country war in the late 1990's in the story from the Congo. I'm so tired of Africa not getting the media attention it deserves, even when the Secretary of State is there for two weeks!

[GHARDY]

I've never been a huge Hillary fan, but this was both heartbreaking and endearing, watching the cold steel and dispassion of the campaigner and too-often back seat passenger to power, explode into the molten lava that's been percolating all these years.


After reading the above quote, I think Phil Bronstein thinks he's Dr. Phil, this is a none story Phil, I would much rather be reading about the time you were married to Sharon Stone and was bitten by a Komoto dragon. Now that was back seat passenger to a famous star, explode into the ridiculous. Get a life.