Saturday, June 23, 2007

Dialogue with Hillary VII: Self Inflicted Wounds

I haven't read Carl Bernstein's biography of you, but there was an interesting review of it in the New Yorker magazine. One of the observations brought to mind your recent statement that "you still have wounds" from the fight on Capitol Hill for universal health care in 1994. Apparently Bernstein thinks most of those wounds were the self inflicted variety. Your organization of five hundred staffers into thirty four committees must have made the work of drafting the legislation more entertaining. Just think of how many more cellphone calls were made, not to mention the number of pages generated. Was the proposal really 1,324 pages long? Of course you understood every page of it, but maybe it was not such a good idea to make the proposal so complex that some on the Hill did not understand it all. And then Senator Bill Bradley got a little peeved at you when you threaten to "demonize" opponents. Forgetaboutit--the nerve of him! Some key senators and congressmen from both parties wanted to help and introduce a simpler proposal. Silly congress persons, thinking they could actually make a better proposal than you and your 500 staffers! Americans can wait for their health care until you are in the White House on your own, right? Whadaya gointodo about ungrateful cads like Bob Boorstin, your former deputy for media relations, who said he found you to be "the most self-righteous" person he has ever known? Blaming the Iraqis for the failure of a bungled invasion you voted for was like butter. Ah, the arrogance, the disdain, the hypocrisy-- you and Tony Soprano should get together.
Weekend Update: Michael Moore, muckraker extraordinaire, at the DC premiere said movie mogul Harvey Weinstein asked him to delete a scene from SiCKO in which he identifies the divine Ms H as the second largest recipient of contributions from the health care industry. Weinstein is a major backer of Hillary's climb to the White House. As you would expect, it takes a lot money to write a bill so complicated that it insulates the very industry responsible for America's health care crisis.