Hillary's Ireland Story: Is It Experience or Just Proximity?

Posted by Katrina Vanden Heuvel, The Nation at 9:29 AM on March 29, 2008.

Jill Deal believes what Hillary Clinton is doing "also demeans women like me who have built their experience ..on what they have done on their own."

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There's a tough and provocative letter in Friday's Washington Post by the wife of the minister (deputy to the ambassador) of the US Embassy in London at the time the Northern Ireland negotiations and the Bosnia crisis were occurring. Jill Deal, who was also a lawyer at a US firm, attended and actively participated in meetings on Northern Ireland, along with her husband, Gerry Adams, Ian Paisley and other dignitaries involved in the peace negotations. "Would I consider this to be foreign policy experience?" Of course, Deal argues. "Would I put it on my curriculum vitae as such? Of course not."

"I have found the notion that one absorbs foreign policy experience just by being a spouse increasingly offensive as the presidential campaign has progressed. It demeans Hillary Rodham Clinton, who by all reports, has gained experience altogether separate from her husband since she became a senator, some of which no doubt can legitimately be categorized as foreign policy."

Deal believes what Hillary Clinton is doing "also demeans women like me who have built their experience ..on what they have done on their own."

Read the full letter here.

Tagged as: ireland, clitnon, deal

Katrina vanden Heuvel is the publisher of The Nation

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Clinton is willing to take down her own party with self serving lies and innuendos [Report this comment] Posted by: Rune on Mar 29, 2008 9:58 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Why should she be any more loyal to her sex? [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Going in the way-back machine. . . [Report this comment] Posted by: Lauren on Mar 29, 2008 11:03 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] My memory is a little rusty, but as I remember it, Hillary made this lame comment that she was NOT some kind of stand by your man woman who stays home and bakes cookies. It caused quite a flap and she had to say there was nothing wrong with women who stay home and bake cookies. And to prove that, she released her cookie recipe, First Cookies. Does this predate Martha Stewart? It feels like ancient history. The recipe is a good one so we can assume it was probably market tested. I clipped it out of the paper. First Cookies 350F oven, bake 11 min 1 & 1/2 Cup flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 cup shortening 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 2 cups rolled oats 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips Heat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugars, add eggs, beat. Sift together dry ingredients, beat into batter, add oats and mix, add chips, mix. Drop spoonfuls on baking sheets and bake 11 min. Makes 7 & 1/2 dozen cookies. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] They call it blarney [Report this comment] Posted by: foreverhope on Mar 29, 2008 4:26 PM Current rating: 4 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] She must have brought a piece of the Blarney Stone home with her. GO BARACK! [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] CHAPPELLE'S MUSINGS [Report this comment] Posted by: mnascimento on Mar 29, 2008 6:49 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Comedian Dave Chappelle said during a monologue, that we forget just how famous Bill Clinton is. He is so famous that Monica Lewinsky became famous too, just because she............ There is nothing about Hillary Clinton's career or accomplishments that would have projected her into national prominence, had she not been married to Bill Clinton. That includes her election to the Senate. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] I heard an interesting argument the other day that... [Report this comment] Posted by: ABetterFuture on Mar 29, 2008 8:09 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] ...minus her single complete term as a carpet bagging senator, Laura Bush has identical "experience" credentials. To wit: nothing to brag about in the context of a Presidential erection. ...err, 'lection. She needs to jot down a few ideas to use to form a "platform" (ha, anyone remember those?), aside from her single anti-choice healthcare plank, and stop sqawking about her vast experience of sleeping in the President's bed, which happened to be the White House... ...come to think of it, Monica for President. She has the experience necessary to answer phones, when away from the Presidential Staff. (sorry, I hate puns too) [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Give her some credit [Report this comment] Posted by: sliver on Mar 30, 2008 7:31 AM Current rating: 2 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] I have fought against Clinton's presidential campaign from the beginning, but I have to give her some credit here. While her husband talked to world leaders, Clinton would meet with women's groups and community groups. In my opinion, that's much better foreign experience than stuffed-shirt policy talk with other leaders, all of them trying to hide their true agendas from each other. Of course, trying to take credit for the stuffed-shirt talk instead of telling us about the real citizens issues is another strike against Clinton in her desperate campaign. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » Credit her for lying? I'm sorry what? Posted by: foreverhope The videos Hillary Clinton does NOT want you to see! [Report this comment] Posted by: jhecht on Mar 30, 2008 7:36 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq8aopATYyw and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMfUajhL24I&feature=related part 2 - spread it wide & far! [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » RE: The videos Hillary Clinton does NOT want you to see! Posted by: redbridge I know McCain doesn't have "experience"... [Report this comment] Posted by: motamanx on Mar 30, 2008 12:23 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] ...unless you consider what was done to him in the Viet Nam concentration camp. And what kind of leadership experience does that give? Is that why he doesn't care what you say, the surge is working, and by the way, let's have 100 MORE years of US "occupation"? [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Hillary Is a Narcissist [Report this comment] Posted by: AlexLawyer on Mar 30, 2008 6:05 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] The following are the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as well as a good description of Hillary Rodham Clinton: A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following: 1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements) 2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love 3. believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions) 4. requires excessive admiration 5. has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations 6. is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends 7. lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others 8. is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her 9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » pfft! this discribes most posters on alternet Posted by: KaptainSpiffy » NPD and Hillary Posted by: wagadog

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» Credit her for lying? I'm sorry what? Posted by: foreverhope

» RE: The videos Hillary Clinton does NOT want you to see! Posted by: redbridge

» pfft! this discribes most posters on alternet Posted by: KaptainSpiffy

» NPD and Hillary Posted by: wagadog

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» Credit her for lying? I'm sorry what? Posted by: foreverhope

» RE: The videos Hillary Clinton does NOT want you to see! Posted by: redbridge

» pfft! this discribes most posters on alternet Posted by: KaptainSpiffy

» NPD and Hillary Posted by: wagadog