November 12, 2007 1:57 PM
- Text
Flags Fall At Clinton Event
CBS News' Fernando Suarez reports:
If you want to be president, it's important to act – and look – presidential. Staff members and campaign consultants spend countless hours setting up the perfect backdrop and the perfect settings for their candidate. But sometimes things don't go as planned.
During a Veteran's Day campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton stood before five American flags and addressed members of the press. After her media availability, Clinton turned around to depart. In a matter of seconds one of the flags came crashing down, followed by another and another. What ensued was an unscripted moment of panic where both staffers and the Senator were reaching to grab the flags. Mrs. Clinton was heard saying, "I don't think - I think the bases are not weighted."
This sort of mishap can happen at any moment, to any campaign. But it comes at a difficult time for the Clinton campaign. The candidate has been under fire over a fumbled answer in a recent debate on whether illegal immigrants should be permitted to obtain driver's licenses. The falling flags may not mean much, but they may be seen as a symbol that a campaign once viewed as calculated and flawless may be more vulnerable than once thought.
If you want to be president, it's important to act – and look – presidential. Staff members and campaign consultants spend countless hours setting up the perfect backdrop and the perfect settings for their candidate. But sometimes things don't go as planned.
During a Veteran's Day campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton stood before five American flags and addressed members of the press. After her media availability, Clinton turned around to depart. In a matter of seconds one of the flags came crashing down, followed by another and another. What ensued was an unscripted moment of panic where both staffers and the Senator were reaching to grab the flags. Mrs. Clinton was heard saying, "I don't think - I think the bases are not weighted."
This sort of mishap can happen at any moment, to any campaign. But it comes at a difficult time for the Clinton campaign. The candidate has been under fire over a fumbled answer in a recent debate on whether illegal immigrants should be permitted to obtain driver's licenses. The falling flags may not mean much, but they may be seen as a symbol that a campaign once viewed as calculated and flawless may be more vulnerable than once thought.
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Brian Montopoli Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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