If Hillary Clinton runs for president in 2016 Will you support her ?

Hillary Clinton has been a largely positive force for the Obama administration as Secretary of State. Mrs. Clinton was bitten by the political bug early in her student days, and is described as something of a policy wonk. She's probably the only person in past and current administrations who can be trusted to safely pronounce the name of Russian President Medvedev. Hardworking and highly intelligent, the former First Lady is perhaps showing signs of stress in two recent incidents which have become widely chattered about on Cable News and the Internet.
The first of the Secretary of State's widely reported gaffes derived from a simple misunderstanding, either a translation problem or a slip of the tongue by the university student who asked Mrs. Clinton a question: "What does Mr. Clinton think through the mouth of Mrs. Clinton...." The rest of the question was lost in the media feeding frenzy as an angry Mrs. Clinton fulminated in much the same way as Robert DeNiro did in the film "Taxi Driver" -just before he starts shooting. "You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?" DeNiro taunts.

Mrs. Clinton responded in much the same way and would have been entirely correct in doing so had the question stood as it was heard. Minutes later, however, the university student explained that she was not referring to Mrs. Clinton's husband, Bill Clinton, but to Barack Obama. The misunderstanding was smoothed over, but not before the world news media picked up the video of an angry Secretary of State challenging the notion that there was a shadow former president speaking through her own less relevant existence.

""You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not Secretary of State, I am. If you want my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I am not going to be channeling my husband," Mrs. Clinton responded.

You kind of felt sorry for her. She had been subjected to gender-based prejudices during her presidential campaign run. Unfortunately, that's not what the questioner intended during the event in Kinshasha, Congo. Nonetheless, the media monster had to be fed and videos of Mrs. Clinton's response were played and played and played on TV. Even so, and in spite of the missed communication, Mrs. Clinton probably didn't lose many fans for that, and perhaps gained some.

It was a different story when Mrs. Clinton next made a visit to Nigeria. Her intent was to deliver the message that Nigeria, like other African nations, would do better for their people by making a stronger effort to diminish the amount of corruption in the government. Mrs. Clinton probably wanted to soften the message and, sleep-deprived and tired of the grueling travel schedule, told the Nigerian audience that democracy in America was still a "work in progress." She pointed out the contentious end of the Florida vote when George Bush was elected, saying that this election problem occurred while the President's brother, Jeb Bush, was governor of the state.

This was bad, a major mistake, and a gaffe which will not easily vanish into the next news cycle. Already there is a news narrative concerning the Obama administration that Mr. Obama is inclined to apologize for America rather than being proud of it. Mrs. Clinton's Nigeria gaffe fits right into this political narrative with its echoes of Mrs. Obama's pre-election statement that "for the first time I am proud of my country."

Government in the U.S. is as corrupt as governments in Africa. While there is plenty of corruption in America, there are infinitely more chances of it being discovered and prosecuted in the U.S. The idea that Nigeria is just a little fledgling democracy working its way up to the "big leagues" is patronizing, even colonial, as if the U.S. is inclined to accept lower standards from that little dark undeveloped country.

Mrs. Clinton is an attorney and should know that her statements, with regard to Jeb Bush, are potentially libelous. I'm certain that Mr. Jeb Bush will let the remarks stand for what they are rather than even to comment upon them. It is more politically advantageous for Republicans to let the Secretary's remarks stand as they are-shrill and reckless. Mrs. Clinton's remarks imply guilt by association, a nexus frequently made by the far-left conspiracy loonies.

A third concern is that Mrs. Clinton's injection of U.S. partisan politics into the agenda of the U.S. State Department is entirely inappropriate. Expecting Nigerians to line up behind Democrats in a long-ago presidential campaign fight is not the business of the U.S. State Department. It's as simple as that. With foreign policy dangers such as America faces, it would be far better if Mrs. Clinton should stick to a U.S. foreign policy agenda. And it may help America if Hillary Clinton caught an extra few winks.

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