Bill Resurrects Hillary's Bosnia Blunder

By: Fernando Suarez
Topics: Hillary Clinton

(CBS)

From CBS News' Fernando Suarez:

PHILADELPHIA -- President Bill Clinton told voters Thursday at a Booneville, Ind., rally that his wife has been getting unfair media coverage over her now discredited trip to Bosnia where she claimed she was under sniper fire.

"I got tickled the other day," said the former president. "A lot of the way this whole campaign has been covered has amused me. But there was a lot of fulminating because Hillary, one time late at night when she was exhausted, misstated and immediately apologized for it, what happened to her in Bosnia in 1995."

"And you woulda thought, you know, that she'd robbed a bank the way they carried on about this. And some of them when they're 60 they'll forget something when they're tired at 11 at night, too."

Not exactly, here's why:

Hillary Clinton first recounted her trip to Tuzla Air Force base at a rally in Dubuque, Iowa in mid-December where she was trying to bolster her foreign policy experience saying she had been to places so dangerous, that the President himself was not allowed to go.

"We used to say in the White House that if a place was too dangerous, too small or too poor send the First Lady. I had the time of my life," Clinton said.

At the same event, Clinton was also trying to discredit remarks made by Barack Obama that belittled her role in her husband's administration. Obama had said that Clinton's visits abroad did not amount to foreign policy experience as she most likely sat around having tea with leaders.

"We landed in one of those corkscrew landings and ran out because they said their might be snipers. I don't remember anybody offering me tea on the tarmac when that was happening."

Exactly one month later on Feb. 29, Clinton campaigned in Waco, Tex., at a mid-afternoon rally where she was to deliver a major speech on national security. Again, Clinton retold the story of her trip to Bosnia.

"One of the great honors of being First Lady and of being a senator is the time that I was privileged to spend with our troops here at home, in Iraq and Afghanistan, in Bosnia, Kosovo, and places around the world. I remember particularly a trip to Bosnia where the welcoming ceremony had to be moved inside because of sniper fire."

Less than three weeks later Clinton delivered a speech on St. Patrick's Day in Washington, D.C. Clinton, again, told the story of her trip, this time spicing up the details.

"I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

"Everyone else was told to sit on their bulletproof vests," she said. "And we came in, in an evasive maneuver. ... There was no greeting ceremony, and we basically were told to run to our cars. Now, that is what happened," Clinton told the press.

Well, that's not what happened. CBS News video surfaced of that very trip that showed a calm Clinton walking off the military transport aircraft with her daughter Chelsea. Clinton was even greeted by the acting president of Bosnia on the tarmac. The First Lady stopped long enough to visit with a young girl, as well.

In Indiana, former President Clinton told the crowd, "Did y'all see all that? Oh, they blew it up."

Really?

Ryan Corsaro contributed to this report.

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by truth-hurts April 12, 2008 6:07 PM EDT: It''s not about bitterness.

It''s about Obama''s comments on the working middle class.

Obama''s explanation doesn''t cut it.

No way this story is going to go away either.; Reply to this comment


by rjudy3 April 11, 2008 5:02 PM EDT: You Clinten haters are sleezy, disrespectful, and full of hate. I thought your candidate''s message was one of Unity, Peace, love for our fellow citizens? To see the comments you all make your candidates campaign is one of hate, anti-americanism, racist and and most of all UN-American. You people are from the same folks who brought us the current imbecile in the white house. Thanks but no-thanks, I''ll stick with a good woman everytime, Hillary R Clinton and Pres Clinton (he was a Great President!).; Reply to this comment


by michael0004 April 11, 2008 4:13 PM EDT: and:

Asked about the two different answers, Mr. Obama''s presidential campaign said he in fact has always supported decriminalizing marijuana as he answered in 2004, meaning the candidate mistakenly raised his hand during the presidential debate last fall.
2007: On the 1st of December, Obama said, I''m not running because I''m trying to fulfill some long-held plan.; Reply to this comment


by michael0004 April 11, 2008 4:12 PM EDT: correction:

or:

Obama lies with the same ease as the Clintons and proves that he will say anything to win the nomination and election.
2007: Last fall during a nationally televised presidential debate, Obama hesitantly raised his hand and joined with most of his Democratic rivals to declare that he opposed decriminalizing marijuana. (first video).
But as a candidate for the U.S. Senate four years ago, Mr. Obama told Illinois college students that he supported eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use or possession, according to a videotape of a little noticed debate that was obtained by The Washington Times.
I think we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws, Mr. Obama told an audience during a debate at Northwestern University in 2004. But I''m not somebody who believes in legalization of marijuana. (second video).; Reply to this comment


by michael0004 April 11, 2008 4:10 PM EDT: or:

2007: Last fall during a nationally televised presidential debate, Obama hesitantly raised his hand and joined with most of his Democratic rivals to declare that he opposed decriminalizing marijuana. (first video).
But as a candidate for the U.S. Senate four years ago, Mr. Obama told Illinois college students that he supported eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use or possession, according to a videotape of a little noticed debate that was obtained by The Washington Times.; Reply to this comment


by michael0004 April 11, 2008 4:09 PM EDT: or:

2007: During his 12 years in politics, Sen. Barack Obama has received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted businessman, Tony Rezko and his associates, than he has publicly acknowledged, the Chicago Sun-Times has found.
Seven months ago, Obama told the Sun-Times his !0best estimate!1 was that Rezko raised !0between $50,000 and $60,000!e during Obama''s political career.
However, Obama has collected at least $168,308 from Rezko and his circle. Additionally, Obama also has taken in an unknown amount of money from people who attended fund-raising events hosted by Rezko since the mid-1990s.; Reply to this comment


by michael0004 April 11, 2008 4:07 PM EDT: or:

Obama stated that while our fuel standards haven''t moved from 27.5 miles per gallon in two decades, both China and Japan have surpassed us, with Japanese cars now getting an average of 45 miles to the gallon. But Toyota, which should know, has responded, "No carmaker gets 45 mpg; ours is closer to 30 mpg."; Reply to this comment


by michael0004 April 11, 2008 4:06 PM EDT: or:

2007: On May 8th, Obama, caught up in the fervor of a campaign speech Tuesday, drastically overstated the Kansas tornadoes death toll, saying 10,000 had died.
In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died, an entire town destroyed, the Democratic presidential candidate said in a speech to 500 people packed into a sweltering Richmond art studio for a fundraiser.
The death toll was 12.; Reply to this comment


by michael0004 April 11, 2008 4:05 PM EDT: Still not convinced?

Or:

2007: On March 27th, Obama, tells the crowd at fundraiser , !0I was a constitutional law professor, which means unlike the current president I actually respect the Constitution.!1
For the record, Obama is a Senior Lecturer (on leave of absence) at the University of Chicago Law School. He has taught Constitutional Law III: Equal Protection and Substantive Due Process, Current Issues in Racism & the Law, and Voting Rights & the Democratic Process.; Reply to this comment


by b-easy63 April 11, 2008 3:57 PM EDT: LOL! I love you hillary campaigners. You just gotta hit the blogs early huh? LOL! I love how hillary can spew lies like that and turn around and joke about it like it was no big deal. Looks like she has adopted the Bush strategy to lie and laugh about it. Have fun back in your Senate chair Hillary!

Watch OBAMA WIN!!!

This is one white, blue collar worker that is voting for OBAMA!He represents me far better than a multimillion dollar con artist.

OBAMA 08!

Posted by LarryOregon at 12:47 PM : Apr 11, 2008

Hillary: "I almost did not make it--got held up by sniper fire" cackle, cackle.

Bush: (Lifting up table cloth and peering under the table) "Let''s see...no WMD there" guffaw, guffaw.

Two peas in a pod.

Exaggerations about their personal history--who cares (Like their names) But lying over and over about things that affect all of us (like our military putting Hillary and Chelsea in a hot war zone or WMD) that is in another league of lies altogether and michael0004 knows it.; Reply to this comment