Public service and leadership are worthy enterprises. Smashing barriers is great. But I hope you’ll pardon me if I don’t encourage my daughter, any more than my sons, to follow Hillary Clinton’s footsteps. As I watched her speech Tuesday, my first thought was that I don’t want any of my children to be president of the United States. Instead of being an inspirational story for young girls, Hillary Clinton’s path to her current heights should be seen as a cautionary tale of the corrupting nature of power and ambition.
Totally aside from her ideology, ugly moments and dubious decisions mark her climb to power, which is inseparable from her husband’s climb…
Hillary Clinton vocally supported the Iraq War, a move blasted by the Left as a rank political calculation. Compare this episode to another barrier-breaker: Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress. Rankin in 1917 cast one of only 50 votes against U.S. entry into World War I. This was not a popular vote amongst her colleagues or the media, and it was probably what made her into a one-term wonder (although decades later she managed to return).
Look at the cast of characters Hillary’s pursuit of power has arrayed around her throughout the years. Political fixers along the lines of Dick Morris and Sid Blumenthal glom onto any promising politician. The money Clinton has had to raise in her climb to the top has put her in the company of truly shady characters, most of whom have ended up under investigation, indictment, or were convicted of crimes. Terry McAuliffe, Marc Rich, Mikal Watts, Arthur Coia, Rahm Emanuel, Hassan Namazee, Norman Hsu, Johnny Chung, Charlie Trie, Jim McDougal, Mark Middleton, Maria Tsia, Antonio Pan. Do you want your daughter or son running with a crowd like this?
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