Tears and a Frown

Just when you thought you couldn't read one more thing on Hillary's crying jag prior to the New Hampshire primary last week...

I'm certainly not looking to take my turn with the whip. She's pretty much covered with welts without me, thanks to the endless drone of talk shows, radio gabfests, etc.. Blah, blah, blah. Was the crying real or manufactured? Did it help get her some New Hampshire votes when she was clearly behind Obama Bin Laden. Did she just peel a Vidalia onion for Bill's lunch?

My answers to those questions are "I don't know," "I don't know", and "Probably." But, there is one thing I am sure of. The emotion was genuine. And not because she was suddenly behind in her chance to help make this country great.

You see, I have a story in my memory bank that goes back about 15 years. It is valid and has always sculpted my conception of what Hillary Clinton really is. As a result, I never bought any of the junk about her being the poor jilted wife when Bill got caught holding Monica Lewinsky's dry cleaning ticket. I have seen through every single thing this woman has done or said. I don't believe there's been love in this marriage since Chelsea was conceived. Ernest Borgnine and Ethel Merman probably had a closer relationship when they were married for six weeks back in the mid 60s. From my vantage point, there has not been one true moment in her life for years. And I've thought that since about 1994.

I have a very good friend, who will remain nameless here, but will certainly remember that he was the one who provided me with this tale. Back in the early 90s, he worked in pretty lofty political circles. And he had access to a lot of what was happening in the Presidential campaign between Bill Clinton and Papa Bush. My friend always counseled that a lot of what happens behind the scenes never ever makes it to the nightly news. In a sense, the beat writers adhere to a "gentlemen's agreement" with regard to the really damaging stuff. That's how you go 15 years before anybody realizes Franklin Delano Roosevelt couldn't walk. And one of the areas that got the super-stick Teflon treatment was Billy's alley catting. Because there was a lot, lot, lot more of it than you think.

On the first run for the White House, Clinton's staff was used as pimps. If Bill saw somebody in the crowd that melted his butter, he would direct some go-fer to "bring her to me," as if he were Emperor Claudius. One day, Slick Willie saw a pretty African-American girl and she apparently rated further investigation. He snapped his fingers like Sinatra used to do at the Sands in Vegas and some lackey immediately jumped to the task. When the young lady came to the back, it was sitcom-like laughs for all concerned, because the girl turned out to be the daughter of the then-Democratic party bigwig, Ron Brown. The legend gets a little fuzzy after that as to whether Bill was able to guess the flavor of the girl's Kool Aid. Nevertheless, this all stayed with me. Of course, I didn't use it to judge Clinton one way or the other. I'm not naive enough to think that other Presidents didn't have similar dalliances, except for maybe Nixon. I remember thinking about Hillary. If the stories are all true, it would have to be very tough to remain as the devoted wife.

Flip the calendar pages about a year or two later. I'm on the Nordic Track ski machine at my local gym. As usual, the televisions are all tuned to Brokaw/Rather/Jennings. And it's the day when Ron Brown, among others, is killed in a plane crash somewhere in Bumfuk, Czechoslovakia. All three channels have the same footage. Bill and Hillary walking up to the front door of the Brown family townhouse in DC. They console the widow and the daughter. Bill hugs both. Hillary hugs the wife. And then, she "air hugs" the young girl. That's like an "air kiss," but even less personable. At that very moment, I stopped skiing and experienced a political epiphany.

"Holy shit, she knew all along."

And, since then, I have been of the opinion that she's known about every single one of them, including Monica Lewinsky. And she has used them all to her advantage. I wouldn't be surprised if she hits them all up for a contribution to her campaign.

So, is Hillary a masochist? Why did she stay with the guy all this time? The answer is pretty simple. Everything ties to what is happening right now. This is her moment. This is her time. The political career she has at this very moment is the alimony payment she would normally have demanded after divorcing Bill. After years and years and years, she is now the star. The Clinton we talk about. She has geared every action, every word, every gesture for this year. 2008.

And now, somebody named Barack is peeing in her pool. And everything she has suffered and endured and focused on for the past 30 years might be over.

When that happens to anybody, they cry.

And she did.

It was the first truly sincere moment I have seen from her.

Dinner last night: Omelet at the Cheesecake Factory.