Hillary Still Stands By Her Man

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 29, 1998 / 5:54 PM EDT / CBS

The Starr Report is out there, the videotape is out there, and to the astonishment of some, reports CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante, Hillary Rodham Clinton is also out there.

She was in Puerto Rico Tuesday, comforting victims of hurricane Georges, out in public, as she has been almost every day since the release of the president's videotaped testimony, and still, to the astonishment of many, intensely supportive of the president and his agenda.

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Accepting an award recently, she underscored that it was for "the president's proposal." However, she still refers to Mr. Clinton in a much more personal way - as her "husband."

For those who wonder how she can even say that word, the first lady's friends say she wouldn't do it any other way.

"What would you have her do - hide under the bed, walk out the door?" said Democratic strategist Mandy Grunwald. "She believes in marriage, and she believes in for better or for worse - and this is certainly for worse. But I don't think she's walking away. I think she's throwing herself into her work."

As a campaigner, Hillary Clinton may be more in demand this year than her husband. She skewers Republicans in Congress on topics like education.

"They would rather spend their time dividing our country, diverting our resources, doing anything but focusing on the real problems of America," she said.

The first lady is one of the most loyal supporters of Mr. Clinton.

When Dr. Martin Luther King's daughter Bernice said, "It's time I think, for us to leave our president alone," guest of honor Nelson Mandela came to his feet. So did Mrs. Clinton.

At least that's the public Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"Of course we don't know how supportive she is in private and we don't know what's going on there," said Grunwald. "And I don't think we ever will."

What that seems to mean is that Hillary Rodham Clinton has no intention of answering the question many people have about her marriage - why do they stay together - except by her very public support for her husband.