Think Locally, Act Nationally

Who can we trust?

Hillary Clinton says she is fully vetted. I doubt it. Just look at this example that was reported over the past few days.

Hillary Clinton won Ohio largely on the issue of Nafta. Even though Nafta was a major "achievement" in the Clinton Administration, Hillary Clinton said she is and always was against it. She even questioned the sincerity of Barack Obama's position on Nafta.

Ohio voters know that Bush has not stood up for American workers on trade. Bush doesn't understand the "fair" part of the phrase "free and fair trade." Making American workers compete against exploited cheap labor with pennies for wages and horrid working conditions is not fair. As Obama has said, we need to make our trade partners implement work standards to stop them from making products on the cheap so American workers can't fairly compete.

So in view of her clear positions on her husband's Presidency, we wondered why Hillary Clinton fought the release of her records as First Lady. It didn't make sense. After all, she touted her experience as First Lady saying it makes her more qualified to be President than Barack Obama. She and the Democrats also criticize the Bush Administration for its secretive manner of running our government.

Now we know. Hillary Clinton's First Lady records, which were just released over her objections, reveal that Hillary Clinton was not against Nafta.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080319/pl_nm/usa_politics_clinton_records_dc
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/03/clintons-1993-n.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080320/cm_thenation/1300860

It always sounded weird that Hillary Clinton would be against Nafta, something Bill Clinton considered a major achievement of his Administration. In fact, she wasn't against it. She even lobbied for it.

To put it bluntly, Hillary Clinton lied. She lied about something important. She lied to pander to voters. Hillary Clinton stole a ton of votes in the Ohio election on a lie.

This is really no surprise coming from the candidate who says the vote in Michigan should count even though she, her opponents and the Democratic Party itself had all agreed that Michigan broke the rules and its vote would not count, and even though her opponents' names were not even on the ballot.

The unfortunate truth is that Hillary Clinton has a serious credibility problem. Add that she failed to deliver on key issues, like her failed effort at healthcare reform in the early 1990s, like her vote for the Iraq war, and like her failing Presidential campaign in which she has repeatedly taken cheap shots at her opponent who is the likely Democratic nominee for President.

It's time to end the two decades of Bush-Clinton rule in America. It's time for a change. We need someone who will play it a little straighter, listen a little harder, and encourage us to rekindle hope and work together for positive change for all Americans.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/03/clintons-1993-n.html

"Clinton's 1993 NAFTA Meeting

March 19, 2008 4:58 PM

One interesting event in Sen. Hillary Clinton's just-released schedules from the 1990s comes on Nov. 10 1993, when the former first lady was to serve as the closing act during a briefing on NAFTA, the trade agreement she now assails.

11:30 am -
11:45 am

NAFTA BRIEFING DROP-BY
Room 450, OEOB

PARTICIPANTS: Approx 120 expected to attend
(See briefing book for further info)

FORMAT:
- Alexis Herman intros HRC for brief remarks
-HRC concludes program

(pp. 1375 and 1376)

Two attendees of that closed-door briefing, neither of whom are affiliated with any campaign, describe that event for ABC News. It was a room full of women involved in international trade. David Gergen served as a sort of master of ceremonies as various women members of the Cabinet talked up NAFTA, which had yet to pass Congress.

"It wasn’t a drop-by it was organized around her participation," said one attendee. "Her remarks were totally pro-NAFTA and what a good thing it would be for the economy. There was no equivocation for her support for NAFTA at the time. Folks were pleased that she came by. If this is a still a question about what Hillary's position when she was First Lady, she was totally supportive of NAFTA.

That first attendee recalls that the First Lady's office in the East Wing put together "the invitation list, who was invited authorizations and all that stuff."

And what is this attendee's response to Clinton today distancing herself from NAFTA? "For people who worked hard to pass NAFTA and who support the importance of markets opening for the economy in the long term, they're very upset. A number of the women who were there are very upset. You need to have some integrity in your position. The Clintons when Bill Clinton was president took a moderate position on trade for Democrats. For her to repudiate that now seems pretty phony."

Recalls a second attendee, "they were looking for women in international trade who supported NAFTA. Senator Clinton came by at the end. And of course she asked for our support and help in passing NAFTA."

Women who attended that event, the second attendee says, have been incredulous to see Clinton distance herself from the trade agreement as she campaigns today. "They're all saying, 'What's this all about?' We all heard it firsthand." She says Clinton isn't being honest with voters today."