Hillary Clinton: Renaissance Woman by Karen Bartet Read Free Book Online Page B

awkward pattern for both Bill and Hillary, where they seemed permanently very close to wrongdoing but rarely – the exception involving the world's most famous blue dress – actually involved in it. Suspicion of other financial investments made by Hillary would follow, along with a succession of examples of what could be generously termed absent-mindedness with regard to what Rodham had done with various files, how she had got them in the first place and whether or not she ever fired anyone she shouldn't have. This latter led to the amusingly cautious finding that she had made 'factually inaccurate statements' but she hadn't known they were inaccurate at the time.
     
    Those with good memories may recall her husband's similarly careful declaration regarding the meaning of the word 'is'. This kind of clearly avoidable slip-up would also bedevil her first presidential run and cause some smaller problems following her time as Secretary of State. Her supporters can only hope she has learned from her mistakes in this area.

 
    Launch
     
    By the time her husband had been elected as Governor of Arkansas for the first time, Hillary was already well-embarked on her own political career, working as Indiana campaign director during Carter's bid for the presidency and, as already mentioned, serving as a director and subsequently chair of the Legal Services Corporation, the first woman to hold this position.
     
    When Bill became Governor, he made his wife chair of the Rural Health Advisory Committee, where she again demonstrated her dedication to helping the poorest and most vulnerable in American society by successfully fighting for federal funding for an expansion of medical facilities for the poor. She also worked on the Arkansas Education Standards Committee during Bill's second, non-consecutive term as Governor, and was a leading influence in turning Arkansas' education system around, taking it from the worst in the country to among the best with a hard-headed set of reforms, including better pay for teachers and more opportunities for gifted children alongside increased investment in vocational education. Such successful policies led to Bill's subsequent re-elections as Governor throughout the 1980s. It was becoming increasingly clear to onlookers that Hillary (now using the Clinton name in a bid to reassure conservative voters) was no ordinary First Lady. Her active role during her husband's Governorship foreshadowed the role she would take as First Lady of the United States, as an adviser to her husband and advocate for her own missions and ideas.

 
    F L O T U S
     
    Clinton's prominent role in her husband's Governorship of Arkansas, which arguably included her later controversial partnership at Rose Law, continued into his presidential candidacy, during which time Bill Clinton described his future presidency as a 'two for the price of one' deal for Americans, in which he and Clinton would play equally important roles. This statement and the relationship that indeed followed has led to accusations that either or rather both Clintons were 'co-president'. Certainly both critics and admirers agree that she, along with Eleanor Roosevelt, was the most politically active First Lady in American history. And of course, the President can appoint whoever they like as an advisor, including their spouse, so there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the idea that the First Lady (or Gentleman) should play a key role in government, especially if they are willing and have the qualifications to do so – and Clinton certainly did.
     
    Bill Clinton's willingness to be brutal was highlighted during the campaign, with his decision to support the execution of Ricky Ray Rector. Rector, while undoubtedly guilty, was in no state to stand trial, having effectively lobotomised himself during an attempt to commit suicide: In an infamous and horrible demonstration of Rector's degraded mental state, he didn't finish the dessert of his last meal, telling