# Rant about Hillary **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 20, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050 "2005-02-20T20:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/21 "2005-02-20T21:38:38Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > If she was a very good senator she would do her job, which travel to Iraq is not a function of it. So she can’t be a good Senator because she spends a few days doing something that is not her job, in the most limited and inflexible sense of what ‘her job’ is? It’s not wrong for her to go learn more about Iraq. Obviously, for her, McCain, and everybody else who has gone there and didn’t _need_ to be there, it’s also a photo op. I’m not a fan of that, but it’s part of the whole political game and those are rarely worth getting worked up over. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/22 "2005-02-20T21:40:35Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Limbaugh going to Afghanistan makes you do the happy dance? It sure as hell would make me! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/23 "2005-02-20T21:51:16Z")
More national disgraces from the Senate: [ul][li]Mitch McConnell (R-KY)[/li][li]Jack Reed (D-RI)[/ul][/li]There are more. But I’m going to stop. **kanicbird** , you’ve pitted a third of the Senate with this thread, and I don’t see why. Even those Senators who are not on the Armed Services Committee (thanks for pointing that out, **Sam** ) should be praised, not pitted, for going to Iraq. They voted to send their constituents halfway around the world to fight a war. They must vote to fund our troops. Someday, they may face votes regarding an exit strategy for that war. To make an informed decision on these, and other, issues – perhaps some of the most important decisions they will ever make – it is essential that they understand the situation in Iraq. And a great place to start is taking a trip to the country where 120,000 of our troops and billions of our dollars have been sent. One might even argue that it is those Senators who have not visited Iraq who need to start doing their jobs. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/24 "2005-02-20T22:06:16Z")
> [@](#): > > I didn’t know I was supposed to be outraged by this, but now that I know a Senator visiting Iraq is a pittable offense, I don’t have enough outrage to go around. So I’ll just create a Nixon-style enemies list. > > The following Senators ought to be doing their jobs, instead of dicking around in Iraq: > Joe Biden (D-DE) > Sam Brownback (R-KS) > Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) > Norm Coleman (R-MN) > Susan Collins (R-ME) > Mark Dayton (D-MN) > Jim DeMint (R-SC) > Russ Feingold (D-WI) > Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) > Lindsey Graham (R-SC) > Chuck Hagel (R-NE) > Joe Lieberman (D-CT) > John McCain (R-AZ) > And no doubt many others. Get back to work! Perhaps my hampster eaten rant was a bit misplaced then. If all this and more have taken a trip to Iraq, then I really can’t single out Hillary, but then why have I only heard from her? Why not this other people. Is she better then them somehow? ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/25 "2005-02-20T22:10:14Z")
You must not be paying attention, because I spent about 30 seconds getting those names from major media outlets. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/26 "2005-02-20T22:12:16Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > If all this and more have taken a trip to Iraq, then I really can’t single out Hillary, but then why have I only heard from her? Why not this other people. Is she better then them somehow? What do you mean you’ve heard from her? You think the other Senators aren’t releasing statements about their trip and telling their constituents about what they’re doing? Hillary may be getting more news coverage, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/27 "2005-02-20T22:16:00Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Perhaps my hampster eaten rant was a bit misplaced then. If all this and more have taken a trip to Iraq, then I really can’t single out Hillary, but then why have I only heard from her? Why not this other people. Is she better then them somehow? Is it her fault that you haven’t been paying attention? ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/28 "2005-02-20T22:18:06Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > About a month ago I received a email from a person I know who is in the military, which included a photo of Senator Clinton with some military type person. I deleted the photo and I cannot find a link to it now, but in it Clinton was smiling and the military person standing next to her was smiling, but the military person was using his hand to make some sort of symbol. He wasn’t making bunny ears behind Clinton’s head, but apparently this was a military insider’s joke on Clinton, because the military person was supposedly making the hand signal that they’re trained to use when put into an enemy’s propaganda photo, ie, that “I’m all right but they’re making me do this under duress.” It was a funny joke photo to my email correspondent. I replied back to him, suggesting none too kindly that if the photo wasn’t doctored then the military person who posed for the photo ought to get disciplined for embarrassing a US Senator like that, which my correspondent didn’t think was at all funny. Which is my round about way of saying that I believe there is some hostility toward Senator Clinton from our military. [Snopes has a page on this.](http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/crossed.asp) It basically says that the soldier may not be happy about shaking hands with Hillary, but that the “coercion” thing is not accurate. ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/29 "2005-02-20T22:19:07Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > About a month ago I received a email from a person I know who is in the military, which included a photo of Senator Clinton with some military type person. I deleted the photo and I cannot find a link to it now, but in it Clinton was smiling and the military person standing next to her was smiling, but the military person was using his hand to make some sort of symbol. [Just for reference](http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/crossed.asp). ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/30 "2005-02-20T22:20:37Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Perhaps my hampster eaten rant was a bit misplaced then. If all this and more have taken a trip to Iraq, then I really can’t single out Hillary, but then why have I only heard from her? Why not this other people. Is she better then them somehow? Well, you don’t have anything written in the “Location” section of your profile, but IIRC from other threads, you live in New York. Right? So, let’s take a guess as to why you might have heard about Hillary’s visit, and not the visit of other US Senators. Just a wild guess, mind you, with no logic behind it or anything, and based on nothing except a hunch. Could it be because Hillary Clinton is a Senator for your state? Is it possible that’s why her visit to Iraq has made it onto your radar? Of course, if you hadn’t heard about it, you’d probably then start complaining that your own Senator should be keeping you informed of what she’s up to. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/31 "2005-02-20T22:58:51Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Perhaps my hampster eaten rant was a bit misplaced then. If all this and more have taken a trip to Iraq, then I really can’t single out Hillary, but then why have I only heard from her? Why not this other people. Is she better then them somehow? No, it is because some ‘news’ people want to do one thing with the news. They think that the news is supposed to piss people off. You have been trained like Pavlov’s dogs to froth at the mouth at the mention of Hillary Clinton. You don’t know about or care about what the Senate does. They just mentioned her to press the button they built into your head. No go buy some stuff at low prices at Wal Mart. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/32 "2005-02-20T22:59:52Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Again I don’t believe for one second that she went over there to ‘understand’ what is going on. What she did is a presidental function, what she did was to help her run for Pres in '08. And there you have it, folks – everything the EEEEEEEEEEEE-vil Hillary does is motivated by one thing and one thing only: her EEEEEEEEEE-vil designs on the Presidency! She couldn’t possibly do anything for any other reason, oh, no. It’s all part of her EEEEEEEEEE-vil plot to run for President. Gosh, **kanicbird** , thanks for alerting me, I didn’t realize such EEEEEEEE-vil, indeed nefarious skulduggery was afoot. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/33 "2005-02-20T23:21:04Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > What do you mean you’ve heard from her? You think the other Senators aren’t releasing statements about their trip and telling their constituents about what they’re doing? Hillary may be getting more news coverage, I don’t know. Well, the only reason I knew Clinton and McCain were in Iraq is because I saw them on Meet the Press this morning. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/34 "2005-02-20T23:21:14Z")
\*\*mhendo \*\*Perhaps it’s a local issue like you say, but I’m not willing to accept it yet. > [@](#): > > You have been trained like Pavlov’s dogs to froth at the mouth at the mention of Hillary Clinton. You don’t know about or care about what the Senate does Lets just say I have some serious issues as to her qualifications to be senator. > [@](#): > > And there you have it, folks – everything the EEEEEEEEEEEE-vil Hillary does is motivated by one thing and one thing only: her EEEEEEEEEE-vil designs on the Presidency! She couldn’t possibly do anything for any other reason, oh, no. It’s all part of her EEEEEEEEEE-vil plot to run for President. Wow **EddyTeddyFreddy** , I wouldn’t go as far as calling her the AntiChrist, but perhaps she is the Evil One. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/35 "2005-02-20T23:29:22Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > It sure as hell would make me! 😃 [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17299126.htm](http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17299126.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/36 "2005-02-20T23:37:46Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > \*\*mhendo \*\*Perhaps it’s a local issue like you say, but I’m not willing to accept it yet. > > Lets just say I have some serious issues as to her qualifications to be senator. > > Wow **EddyTeddyFreddy** , I wouldn’t go as far as calling her the AntiChrist, but perhaps she is the Evil One. Perhaps before you go making assumptions (including that Sen. Clinton is lying in her repeated statements that she is **not** planning to run for President in 2008), you might acquaint yourself with what it is that Senators and Representatives are committed to do. Start with the Constitution; there was an excellent eighth-grade Cit. Ed. text that outlined their non-statutory duties back when I went to school in New York State. “[G]etting the US citizens to pay for ‘make work’ projects in [his/her state]” is a fairly common practice, but hardly the primary duty of a Senator; in fact, any politically minded columnist or blogger you care to name has probably denounced somebody, probably not from his/her home state, for “pork barrel politics” in this regard. But I must commend you for carrying on [a Straight Dope tradition](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=8033), if not exactly a proud one. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/37 "2005-02-20T23:53:28Z")
> [@](#): > > But I must commend you for carrying on a Straight Dope tradition, if not exactly a proud one. I want it stated for the record that I never commented about the senators physical appearence, nor weight in this thread. > [@](#): > > Perhaps before you go making assumptions (including that Sen. Clinton is lying in her repeated statements that she is not planning to run for President in 2008), I think she has regrets of not running in '04, and have no doubts she is planning to run in '08, sticking it to the residents of NY. [quote)Start with the Constitution. .[/quote] Is this the same constitution that bans gun ownership and allows abortion? sorry I have never seen it, I have looked, but only one that allows the people to have guns, and doesn’t mention abortion but that’s another rant. > [@](#): > > “[G]etting the US citizens to pay for ‘make work’ projects in [his/her state]” is a fairly common practice, but hardly the primary duty of a Senator; I think it’s fair to judge them by their actions as opposed to their ‘assigned’ duties. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/38 "2005-02-20T23:54:03Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > \*\*mhendo \*\*Perhaps it’s a local issue like you say, but I’m not willing to accept it yet. So what, exactly, are you pitting, dipshit? Are you pitting Clinton for going? Because, as others have said, if you are then you also need to include all the other Senators who have made or are making the trip. Are you pitting her for telling you that she’s going? Surely, as one of her nominal constituents, you should be happy to be kept informed about her activities. Are you pitting the media for telling you that she’s going, but not telling you that other Senators are also making the trip? If so, surely this has nothing at all to do with Hillary Clinton? It must just be one of those liberal media conspiracies. Get your acxt together, numbnuts. You have yet to make one coherent statement about why your rant should apply to Clinton particularly. If you want to make a general point about Senators visiting Iraq, go ahead, but don’t pretend that Clinton is the Lone Ranger on this trip. And if you want to make a point about Clinton’s abilities as a Senator, then do that, but it’s how to see how the Iraq visit would make her especially bad (or good). > [@kanicbird](#): > > Lets just say I have some serious issues as to her qualifications to be senator. Which qualifications, precisely, do you feel that she lacks? As far as i can tell, she lacks none of the requirements. From the United States Constitution: > [@](#): > > **Article I, Section 3.** > > Clause 3: No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. and > [@](#): > > **Article I, Section 6.** > > Clause 2: No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office. As far as i can tell, those are the only qualifications required. Oh, and the need to be elected by the voters of the state in which you are running. She seems to qualify on all counts. Sure, you’re probably going to sound off now about a US Senator should be required to have certain character attributes or moral qualities or political experience in order to qualify for the job. But this road is, of course, a rather fraught one, and when we start to investigate Senators who, over the long history of the United States, have lacked the qualities you feel they should have, your particular hard-on for Hillary is going to start looking like something of a drop in the ocean. You do, of course, have every right to have an irrational (or even a rational, although there’s no evidence of that yet) dislike for Hillary Clinton. No-one said you have to like her, and no-one said you shouldn’t criticise her. But if you’re going to do it, then ferchissakes try to ensure that your rant has at least a semblance of coherence and foundation. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/39 "2005-02-21T00:17:07Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I think she has regrets of not running in '04, and have no doubts she is planning to run in '08, sticking it to the residents of NY. I think she made the choice not to run in '04 quite a while back, but I think she probably considers it a good one looking back. It’s an open seat instead of facing an incumbent. I agree she’ll probably give it a shot next time. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050/40 "2005-02-21T00:19:07Z")
> [@](#): > > So what, exactly, are you pitting, dipshit? Well now that you people have edgimicated me, I would have to go with the media coverage of Hillary going to Iraq. > [@](#): > > As far as i can tell, those are the only qualifications required. Oh, and the need to be elected by the voters of the state in which you are running. She seems to qualify on all counts. I think we can agree on this, and also it appears you have a knee jerk reaction of any criticism of Hillary. As for the qualifications, well it apears she cheated many out of their life savings (whitewater), but somehow she got out of that. She was also in a law firm, oh yea just because her husband was governor. Then she lived in the White House, oh yea that was because her husband was president. But then again she spearheaded the national health care plan, which seemed to go down in flames. Hey she made cookies once, and had a ghost writer write a book for her - that must be it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-hillary/291050.md?page=3)