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Clinton fesses up to Tuzla mistake

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor March 25, 2008 03:26 PM

Hillary Clinton sought this afternoon to downplay embellishing her description of a visit to war-torn Bosnia, telling reporters in Pennsylvania:
"I made a mistake. That proves I'm human, which for some people is a revelation."

Clinton said she was told before the 1996 visit that Tuzla was a war zone and she and that her entourage did take precautions, but her memory of sniper fire and running across the tarmac was faulty. "I made a mistake in describing it," she said after a campaign appearance in Greensburg, Pa.

The broader point, she said, is that she would be happy to put up her national security credentials and experience to that of rival Barack Obama "any day."

She also repeated what she told a Pittsburgh newspaper editorial board earlier today -- that she would have left the church if her pastor had said the kinds of things from the pulpit that Obama's long-time pastor did.

"We don't have a choice when it comes to our relatives," Clinton said. "We have a choice when it comes to our pastors."

Clinton declined to say whether the Wright issue should be considered by superdelegates, the elected officials and party leaders who will likely decide the Democratic nominee. And she deflected questions about whether she was attacking Obama, asserting that answered a direct question with a direct answer about her personal choice.

"I don't think that's negative," she said.

40 comments so far...
  1. Does Hillary even have a pastor?

    Posted by TJ from DC March 25, 08 03:52 PM
  1. Clinton said: "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

    Well you also choose your spouse. By her own logic, Hillary should have divorced Bill when he subjected Paula Jones to sexual harrassment (a crime for which he ended up settling out of court).

    So Senator Obama is bad for not changing churches every time he heard something he didn't agree with, but Hillary is good for standing by a man who subjected women to unwanted sexual advances.

    Yet more nonsense from the Clinton campaign.

    Posted by fjfjdvdv March 25, 08 04:38 PM
  1. Maybe she could have Sinbad as her running mate. He has lots of foreign policy experience too.

    Posted by Trendy March 25, 08 04:49 PM
  1. How she does trivialize taking live fire from an enemy. Tells alot about her life experiences don't you think? Confused shaking hands on the tarmac with taking live fire? Weird memory right?

    Posted by Greg higgins March 25, 08 04:52 PM
  1. Come on now....how can you get that story mixed up. You stand an smile and wave and greet and then get it mixed up with running from sniper fire. Tell it like it is.....I am a LIAR!........misspoken....please......we're not stupid Hillary.

    Posted by Jim March 25, 08 04:55 PM
  1. Repeatingly lying to the public until you are proven wrong. That's human.

    Posted by Bill March 25, 08 04:55 PM
  1. She sounds like Roger Clemens - I "misremembered" the truth of what really happened.

    Posted by bodog21 March 25, 08 05:03 PM
  1. "I made a mistake in describing it." You mean you lied Senator and were caught. What more should we expect from a Clinton?

    Posted by Brian F. March 25, 08 05:06 PM
  1. Mistake?? Maybe if she said it was rain, when really it was sun. But totally inventing things that never happened? Like coming under "sniper fire"? Sorry but that's no "mistake" -- that's a lie.

    Posted by DM March 25, 08 05:14 PM
  1. Yeah but she probably left the pastor for saying the wrong thing once, since she is so dedicated!!

    Posted by JJ March 25, 08 05:40 PM
  1. "Mistake" "Mispoke" "Misremembered" How about lied? That's the most accurate description....

    Posted by Landu March 25, 08 05:40 PM
  1. As practiced a liar as Mrs. Clinton is, I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt, she probably did make a mistake.

    Posted by Tom Hadley March 25, 08 05:45 PM
  1. The following news is much more disturbing for Barack. It looks like his judgement on advisors is truly abysmal.

    Obama Connection to Passport Breach
    By Mark Impomeni
    Mar 25th 2008 8:00AM

    Filed Under:eDemocrats, Barack Obama, Breaking News, 2008 President, Scandal

    CNN reports that the Chief Executive of a company contracted to the State Department to perform consular, visa, and passport processing work is an adviser to Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign. John Brennan is an adviser to Sen. Obama on foreign policy and intelligence issues. The CEO of Analysis Corp., a McLean, Virginia, based contractor, is a former CIA official and director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Of the three contract employees believed to have accessed the passport files of the three presidential candidates, one worked for Analysis Corp., and two others were employed by another contractor, Stanley, Inc. The Stanley employees have been fired while the Analysis Corp. employee has been disciplined.

    The scandal broke late last week when the State Department acknowledged print media reports that Department employees had improperly accessed the personal passport file of Sen. Obama. The admission was quickly expanded to cover Sen. Hillary Clinton's and Sen. John McCain's files as well. Sen. Obama seized on the reports, calling for a "full and thorough investigation" of how and why the candidates' private information was accessed and calling the incident, "a problem not just for me but for how our government is functioning."

    Posted by rebal7 March 25, 08 05:47 PM
  1. Statesmanship - that's what I'm missing. Some feeling that this person has motivation and scope beyond the immediate, competetive goal. Last week I heard a speech by Sen Obama that had scope - he took a personal attack and addressed it in such a way as to get us all - black and white - thinking on a new level. Another new Senator from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, once had the ability to make people listen and think - and he also spoke for a vision of unity.
    It's like a breath of fresh air.

    Posted by andy March 25, 08 05:48 PM
  1. She's a liar just like her husband!

    Posted by Dave Sullivan March 25, 08 05:49 PM
  1. How can she claim she misspoke, misspeaking is saying the wrong name of the person you met with, or was wrong about the town you were in, not I misspoke about the lie I am about to tell you, who will know. Hillary should realize that in todays world there is a video tape of everything. Or how could you say you don't remember, I would remember if I was being shot at. She wants to attack Obama about his lack of foreign policy experience, at least he hasn't fabricated a story yet.

    Posted by Steve March 25, 08 05:51 PM
  1. I could understand if Hillary was under sniper fire somewhere else at one point in her life and got it confused with her Bosnia trip, but in reality she has never been under sniper fire. The closest she has ever been to a shooting is Vince Foster. Does anyone remember Whitewater anymore? Which one of the following didn't Bill Clinton have sexual relations with - Paula Jones, ,Jennifer Flowers, Monica Lewinsky and Hillary Clinton?

    She talks about all of her experience, but I really don't see it.

    Posted by Jay Barker March 25, 08 05:58 PM
  1. I'd definitively would remember where, when and how I was under sniper fire and running across the tarmac! Where does she get these things? Do we want the leader of our country know as a laughing stock to all the other world leaders. I can hear the other world leaders now "Did you hear Hillary's latest? She claims she was in Bagdad and had just got all the fractions to sign a peace treaty, just like she did with the British and Irish, when out of know where a terrorist with a bomb came charging in. Hillary ripped an M1 from the hands of a stunned Marine guard and shot the terrorist dead before he could detonate his bomb."

    As Hillary would say " It's all a right wing conspiracy. "


    Posted by Joe N. March 25, 08 05:58 PM
  1. What do you expect from a life-long Yankee hat who grew up in Chicago?

    Posted by Bob Sheridan March 25, 08 06:13 PM
  1. At the end of the day, what this really shows is that the Dems need to get their house in order and stop squabbling with each other. This is a little thing made into a big thing. I'm not condoning the lying, but I'm afraid of the greater repercussions on the Dem candidates in general. This is going to wind up a huge missed opportunity because we focus on the irrelevant minutae, fail to see the importance of unity and a single message and fail to get behind a single candidate and move forward. Whether this hurts Hillary and whether Wright hurts Obama doesn't matter, because most likely it benefits George W. McCain.

    Posted by Chris March 25, 08 06:14 PM
  1. Media can also choose what you want the public to hear.

    It’s amazing what happens when you hear the pastor’s quotes in the context they were delivered. See the posters comments below CNN’s Roland Martin articles:

    http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/the-full-story-behind-rev-jeremiah-wrights-911-sermon/

    http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/the-full-story-behind-wright%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cgod-damn-america%e2%80%9d-sermon/?s-%20?god-damn-america%20?-sermon/

    I can’t say I subscribe to everything the pastor has said but I can say that it makes a heck of a difference when you hear them within the sermon.

    This is a largely smear campaign. If they can’t nail the candidate, then they have to go after someone close to them to try to make the candidate look bad. Eventually, this story is going to come out – that Rev. Wright isn’t as bad as a few out of context clips make him out to be and most rational people will calm down.

    Posted by C Watson March 25, 08 06:18 PM
  1. But at least she acknowledged it, although it was couched.
    Roger Clemens could learn something from this.

    Posted by Chris March 25, 08 06:20 PM
  1. Did I read that right from AP? She also said she "joked" when she said she only used that story ones. She joked? Is that what she is going to say later: I was only kidding when I said I would give people health care or pull the troops from Iraq. What a joke she is!

    Posted by Adriana March 25, 08 06:20 PM
  1. Frankly I don't care who wins the Dem nomination. Whoever it is will, 1) be a 1000% improvement over the sorry situation we have now and, 2) have lots of time between July and November to take on John McCain whose programs include, "more wars", and "lower taxes for the rich". (embellishing your resume is one thing, lying our country into a useless 2 trillion dollar war is quite another.

    My concern is HOW the Dem nominee will be chosen. I think, after June 2, the polls will begin to hint (if not show outright) that the rednecks who will not vote for Obama will out number the Hillary-haters who will not vote for a woman (especially Hillary). That translates into the super delegates getting Hillary the nomination.

    Whichever one gets the nomination, however, will get my vote in the general election. For the record, I am 83, a 5 1/2 year veteran of WW2, and living in Ft. Myers, FL.-------GO SOX, GO CELTS!!!!

    Posted by Bob Maloney March 25, 08 06:56 PM
  1. Are you kidding? Leave your church because your pastor said something you didn't like? What about leaving your husband because he cheats, lies and shames a country? Lies, lies, lies . . .

    Posted by Annie March 25, 08 07:23 PM
  1. How does being a 1st Lady qualify as foreign policy experience?

    Posted by Toby March 25, 08 07:24 PM
  1. Hillary has gained at least some experience from her husband - the art of acting indignent and deflecting attention when caught in a lie.

    Posted by Karen March 25, 08 07:36 PM
  1. Cut Clinton some slack on this one.

    She saw all the success Obama had by inflating his resume, and she tried to do the same.

    Posted by WylieD March 25, 08 08:42 PM
  1. I'm not sure what the nonsense is over the passport files is making any sense, wasn't it Hilary and Bill who looked over the private FBI files of their political rivals when they took office? Or, was that the "vast right wing conspiracy"? I can't keep all of the Clinton shenanigans straight anymore.

    Posted by Joe Sixpack March 25, 08 08:50 PM
  1. What else can one expect from the mouth of a Clinton. She claims to be something that she is not, She deceives people,uses her powers to destroy people as does her husband and will do anything to win. The same goes for her claim on NAFTA. She supported it big time and those stupid Union Leaders who support her should be ashamed of themselves. It is tantamount to them selling their rank and file workers down the tubes.

    Posted by Antos March 25, 08 09:10 PM
  1. LIAR LIAR PANTSUIT ON FIRE...

    I misspoke,,, what a pantload. Just like when she claimed she was named after Edmond HIllary, she misspoke on that one too. And how many lies at the Whitewater hearing??? over 60 in less than 60 minutes?

    She can't be trusted... her and Bill are so crooked you could pick a lock with either one of them.

    *bert

    Posted by BERT CONVY March 25, 08 10:40 PM
  1. Please wake up to Hillary. This sniper issue is a prime example of her true self. How can you manage to get being shot at confused?

    Vote for Obamma or McCain, or whoever, but please, please, do not vote for this manipulative and dangerous person.

    Posted by J Campbell March 25, 08 10:50 PM
  1. Hilary said "We don't have a choice when it comes to our relatives." Has she ever explained and publicly expressed that she has 2 brothers who are dead beat dads? She has publicly fought for children's rights and "it takes a village" but has she ever done anything to help her family? What a joke

    Posted by DanoB March 25, 08 10:53 PM
  1. Wait a minute? She is claiming Bosnia as National Security experience? She was First Lady not an Ambassador. She was "sent" overseas as a First Lady not as an official government advisor. If anyone even remembers many of these overseas trips coincided with some of Bill's screw ups. Hah!!!

    Posted by Dan B March 25, 08 11:02 PM
  1. I guess she kind'a forgot. Kind'a like Obama forgot that he didn't vote for the
    Economic Stimulus Bill
    Date: 02/07/2008
    Location: Washington, DC
    Press Release
    Obama Statement on the Senate's Passage of the Economic Stimulus Package

    U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate's passage of the Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008, H.R. 5140, which passed by a vote of 81 to 16. Yesterday, Senator Obama voted in favor of the economic stimulus package, which was initially blocked by Senate Republicans.
    This is similar to the stimulus package I proposed weeks ago, and it will put needed money back into the pockets of working Americans in order to give our economy the boost it needs as we face down a possible recession.

    SENATE RECORDS: HR 5140 , KNOWN AS ?THE ECONOMIC STIMLUS ACT OF 2008?, WAS PASSED BY THE SENATE ON FEB 7, 2008. HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO SENATE RECORDS, SENATOR OBAMA DID NOT VOTE. THIS WAS SIGNED IN TO LAW BY PRESIDENT BUSH ON FEB. 13, 2008 AND BECAME PUBLIC
    LAW NO: 110-185.

    Posted by Sherril March 26, 08 12:29 AM
  1. Why does the Globe describe this as a "mistake"?

    I know Clinton wants to call it a mistake... but any objective observer would call it a lie.

    I don't think you make a mistake (whoops!) and accidentally blurt out an in depth description of running from sniper fire. It was a calculated lie.

    Posted by Dave March 26, 08 12:32 AM
  1. I sent her my feelings on her US Senate website, She has lost credibility. If you come under fire you surely rememember it. She is a good senator but did not tell the truth and that's it for me. I no longer trust her.

    Posted by mbw March 26, 08 01:29 AM
  1. You do not have to agree with everything your pastor says, but you should believe everything your husband says...she didn’t leave him.

    All this makes me wonder how many other things she has "misspoken" about that we are not even aware of…

    Posted by F. Chisholm March 26, 08 12:07 PM
  1. Hillary may as well said, i have had no sexual relations with that woman, oh wait ,that was Bills lie, well anyway... SMH

    Posted by Aaron James March 27, 08 02:52 PM
  1. in other words, she's been lying since day one...

    Posted by Aaron James March 27, 08 03:01 PM
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About political intelligence Field reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors covering the 2008 presidential campaign and the national maneuvering of Bay State politicians.

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