Originally posted by: yllus
Originally posted by: M0RPH
Hillary's Bosnia statement was an exaggeration, not an outright lie. Everybody does it.
I'll restate: There's a marked difference between, "I remembered that movie ending incorrectly," and, "You mean I wasn't being shot at, didn't have to run for cover while in danger of my life, and had my only daughter along with me at the time? Oh, and then I stopped and climbed into an outpost to pose for photos with troops?"
I sort of think those are inconsistencies that would stand out in anyone's mind. I think you'd have to have a screw or two loose to turn a stroll around the countryside with children greeting you into what she stated happened.
Lissa Muscatine, who served as Hilary Clinton's chief speechwriter in 1996 and accompanied her on the Bosnia trip, feels that I have failed to provide a full picture of what took place. She gave me her "vivid recollections" of the arrival in Tuzla, which I quote below:
I was on the plane with then First Lady Hillary Clinton for the trip from Germany into Bosnia in 1996. We were put on a C17-- a plane capable of steep ascents and descents -- precisely because we were flying into what was considered a combat zone. We were issued flak jackets for the final leg because of possible sniper fire near Tuzla. As an additional precaution, the First Lady and Chelsea were moved to the armored cockpit for the descent into Tuzla. We were told that a welcoming ceremony on the tarmac might be canceled because of sniper fire in the hills surrounding the air strip. From Tuzla, Hillary flew to two outposts in Bosnia with gunships escorting her helicopter.
There were sniper threats there. I'd imagine they hurried off the plane and didn't take a leisurely stroll. I'd also imagine they hurried the meeting with the little girl so they could get them out of there as soon as possible. So really, not THAT far from the story she told. Obviously she did embellish, which is what people tend to do for effect when giving speeches.
Here is the account from Hillary's book, also not THAT different from the later statement.
Due to reports of snipers in the hills around the airstrip, we were forced to cut short an event on the tarmac...' "Security conditions were constantly changing in the former Yugoslavia, and they had recently deteriorated again. Due to reports of snipers in the hills around the airstrip, we were forced to cut short an event on the tarmac with local children, though we did have time to meet them...
Anyway, you go right ahead trying to crucify here for this little slip... I can guarantee you the American public doesn't care nearly as much as the Obamabots do.