An Insulting Question and a Pointed Reply

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked the following question by a Congolese student during a town hall event in Kinshasa yesterday:

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

Responding to what turned out to be an unfortunate mistranslation of the student’s question, our nation’s lead diplomat replied:

You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the secretary of state, I am. You ask my opinion I will tell you my opinion, Iâ€™m not going to channel my husband.

Watch the exchange here:

These remarks were followed almost immediately by a blogospheric uproar about Clinton’s “unprofessional” “temper tantrum.”Â But I’ve watched the video more than once and I don’t see a “hissy fit” or “meltdown.” I see the highest ranking cabinet member demanding respect for her office and expertise.

The question, as translated, was entirely inappropriate and while the answer was not conventional enough for some armchair diplomats to swallow, it was not out of line.Â If she had submissively accepted the insult or politely laughed it off, the same critics attacking her for “showing her true colors” wouldn’t be praising her for her tact, they’d be calling her an impotent pushover lacking the political chops to emerge from beneath Bill Clinton’s shadow.

Like it or not, Hillary Clinton is a cabinet member.Â She is no longer the first lady and should not be expected to play that role.

And if you want to know what my husband thinks about all this, you can ask him yourself.

August 11, 2009 · Filed Under Hillary Clinton, Misogyny, The Blogosphere

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Disenfranchised Hillary Supporters on Primary Voter Fraud

This series of videos documents the thuggery, corruption, fraud, cheating, and harassment that go hand-in-hand with Barack Obama’s Chicago-style politics. Disenfranchised Hillary Clinton supporters share their personal experiences of how Team Obama was manipulating the outcome of the election during primary season, even without the assistance of ACORN. It’s no wonder there are so many PUMAs.

I don’t want to slow this page down, so I’ll only embed the first video here. It starts off slow, but all four parts of the documentary are worth watching. If you’re pressed for time, don’t miss part 3.