Monday, January 07, 2008

I Don't Believe I Would Have Said That

I am frankly enjoying the spectacle of the 2008 Presidential election. While I couldn't characterize it as a particularly edifying experience, the surprises on both sides of the aisle have made for some lively entertainment. And I know not to put much stock in political rhetorical excess, especially in the days leading up to the New Hampshire primary. But something I read today gave me the chills. The article is "Not So Fast, Clinton Says About Obama Momentum," found here.

She did not spare President Bush in her remarks, either. In Hampton on Sunday night, Mrs. Clinton ribbed Mr. Bush for saying he had looked into the soul of President Vladimir V. Putin. “I could have told him Putin was a K.G.B. agent,” she said. “He has no soul.”

I am no Hillaryphobe. In fact, this may be the first time I have even mentioned her online. I understand the point she was trying to make in referencing George W. Bush's inexperience and naivete, while casting herself as a no-nonsense negotiator, tough and battle-hardened. But this is too much. From a practical standpoint, if she were to be nominated and if she were to be elected, she might have to deal with Vladimir Putin. His only crime, that I can see, is putting his own country's interests ahead of the Bush administration, and of course, being right about so many things he warned against in the lead-up to our invasion of Iraq.

But the real problem with her statement is it's troubling moral and theological implications--not for Putin, but for Mrs. Clinton. As a Christian--which she purports to be--there are certain things that you just don't say about anybody. This is one of them.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I was a bit shocked (not really) that this quotation wasn't a front page headline anywhere. A candidate for the most powerful position on earth, calling the man who may be second most powerful essentially less than an animal. And I think most people recognize that if we were reasonable, Putin could become our greatest ally... not if Hillary becomes president.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps Ms. Rodham was trying to sound Reaganesque....a la "the Evil Empire" thing. Unsuccessfully trying to sound Reaganesque.

Milton T. Burton said...

I agree completely. But to remember: both are politicians, and if she should be elected, and were she to have to deal with Putin in a matter that was of benefit to them both, they would greet one another with brotherly abandon. The lion would lie down wioth the lamb, the oceans would turn to lemonade, they would beat their swords into plowshears and study war no more. Or as famed East Texas sheriff Frank Brunt once said after a campaign hug-fest with a black supporter he'd known for years, "Politics is like that oldtime religion. It just makes you luuuuve everybody!!"

Anonymous said...

Typical Clinton demagoguery. Typical cover-up by the institutional-liberal media establishment.

Anonymous said...

And just think, we are only at the beginning of all this mud-slinging. Like him or hate him, he is still our president, and Hillary the Christian should be praying for him. It really does her no good to cast disparaging remarks about him now - he isn't running against her. She would probably strengthen her campaign if she showed some dignity and respect for the office of the presidency - imho :)

Anonymous said...

I was amazed at how Putin kept calling Bush his friend, I don't think _I_ could do that (and I am Russian).
Anyhow, my point is not to degrade Mr. Bush, but to show that Clinton could have found some other words.