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Clinton's N. Ireland Peace Claims "A Wee Bit Silly"

Sen. Hillary Clinton has been talking a fair bit lately about the role she played in the Northern Ireland peace process.

Clinton has been saying that her role in helping the two bitter enemies find a way to come together -- in particular women from the two groups -- is an example of the kind of experience she has in a crisis situation. But negotiators from the two parties that helped but together the Accord in 1998 disagree about the extent of that role. Some told Britain's Daily Telegraph "she played no part in the gruelling political talks over the years."

Lord Trimble of Lisnagarvey, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former First Minister of the province, said that Clinton played no direct role in the peace process and that her claims of doing so are "a wee bit silly."

"I don't know there was much she did apart from accompanying Bill [Clinton] going around," he said. Her claims that she was deeply involved he described as "the sort of thing people put in their canvassing leaflets" during elections. "She visited when things were happening, saw what was going on, she can certainly say it was part of her experience. I don't want to rain on the thing for her but being a cheerleader for something is slightly different from being a principal player.

The Telegraph's Toby Harden was the paper's Northern Ireland reporter during the peace process but is now the paper's U.S. editor. After Lord Trimble made his statements, the Clinton camp sent him a statement from David Hume, who led the Catholic side in the negotiations, that said Clinton played a "positive role" in the negotiations. It also put him in touch with Republican Rep. Peter King.

King was effusive in his praise for Clinton and described Clinton's her this way: "She was actively involved. It was George Mitchell who was negotiating and Bill Clinton who was calling a lot of the shots but Hillary, first of all she had access to the President on I think it was three trips to Northern Ireland. She knew all of the players on a first-name basis ... She was certainly more than just someone along for the ride. She spoke with some authority. I consider her to be a serious player. I say that as someone who supports John McCain and wants Hillary Clinton defeated in November. But fair is fair."

Harnden also notes that there is a bit of a "transAtlantic divide" on the issue of how the role the Clinton's played. "Those in Northern Ireland of whatever political stripe are apt to be more sceptical about Bill Clinton having a really big role, let alone Hillary," he writes.

 

Comments (Send a comment)

I get a kick out of that 'wee bit silly' kind of silly talk. Those are tough sounding words.

The kind of cute sounding words we're getting accustomed to hearing from Michael Moore al-Qaida sympathizers who back Barack Obama to the 'wee bitter end.'

Funny how on the heels of Hillary's whipping up on the Michael Moore Liberal Utopains in Texas and Ohio, all of a sudden Ireland becomes the topic of conversation.

Let's do everything but talk about Texas and Ohio. Being as that the Obama Liberal Utopians are still in a state of shock, walking about glaze-eyed making profound statements like, "Hey, I thought Hillary was supposed to have dropped out of the race last Wednesday?"

Like, all of a sudden you Liberal Utopians want to talk about the IRA and the long history of Belfast born explosions?

No, wait! The Liberal Utopians didn't mean to bring up the subject of terrorist activities around the world. That only highlights their sympathetic streak towards the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center. You know, the terrorists who the Liberal Utopians say were working for the American CIA. Yeah, those same Liberal Utopians who are the backbone of the Barack Obama movement that got stopped in Texas and Ohio.

So, let's shoot across the Atlantic to talk about something else. Something that has absolutely nothing to do with terrorist activities. Like, why don't we talk about Spain?

No, wait. Spain just had their election after the election where lots of Spaniards were killed by terrorist bombs. No, we can't talk about Spain.

What about Italy? Yeah, Italy and the Red Brigade. Wait! No, we can't talk about Italy because that highlights the talk of American Liberal Utopians who don't want to talk about being sympathetic to al-Qaida, and who somehow managed to lose in Texas and Ohio.

Gee. What is happening here in America far as awareness goes about the Barack Obama supporters?

Can't see as what any of it has to do with Ireland.

Somebody enlighten me what all this campaign small talk is about, when there are so many other much larger issues to deal with?

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 9:41 AM ET | 03-10-2008

Fred Camorra Call, do you mind my asking just who are you at war with? All democrats? Certain democrats?Liberals in general? The 21st century? Please enlighten; it will enable the rest of us to put your rambling polemics in perspective.

Sent by George de Man, Rome GA | 10:45 AM ET | 03-10-2008

Sent by George de Man, Rome GA: Fred Camorra Call, do you mind my asking just who are you at war with?

No problem, George. Though I find it ironic that anyone who is in the Democratic Party should accuse anyone else of being at war with just about everyone. Being that the Liberal Utopian Democrats can't get along with moderates, conservatives or themselves. Democrats have created an irreversible gridlock in their war with each other. And the Barack Obama Liberal Utopian crowd seems to think that severe gridlock is good for America.

When it is possibly better for al-Qaeda.

Yeah, I know, George. Al-Qaeda did not attack the World Trade Center. They were innocent bystanders working for the American CIA. I've heard your side of the story many times.

So, George. Let me paint a rosy picture of the Michael Moore Liberal Utopian future for you.

Since 9/11, America has been fighting a war on two fronts. One front in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another front right here in America with those who give al-Qaeda aid and comfort by accusing the CIA and the American government for having plotted 9/11.

See, George, you can't accuse the CIA and the American government of treason, and then just ask everyone to suddenly forget that your ideals are the favorite propaganda of al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

Free speech is granted so long as you don't yell fire in a crowded theater. We are looking at the future of where free speech crosses over the line into aiding and abetting the enemy.

This country can't go on fighting a war on two fronts, both in Iraq, and here in America with anti-American jargon feeding the resources of terrorist groups.

One way or the other, either we free all the terrorists from Gitmo Bay and give them green cards to come live in America and make their bombs in maybe even your neighborhood. Because terrorists aren't going to differentiate between Michael Moore Liberal Utopians and the rest of America when it comes to setting off dirty nuclear bombs.

We have to eventually come to some kind of conclusion between the Michael Moore Liberal Utopians versus Americans who are suportive of our troops fighting, and being killed, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We can't continue this schizophrenic pace in America. One side or the other has to eventually succeed. Which side succeeds eventually determines how al-Qaeda either succeeds, or doesn't succeed.

Now, the Liberal Utopians seem to feel that Barack Obama's three years of senatorial experience is more than enough for Barack Obama to be in control of America's nuclear arsenal.

And nobody knows who Barack Obama is, which constitutes a heck of a big gamble when you are talking about fifty megaton nuclear weapons. Maybe we'll have al-Qeda sympathizers sleeping in the Lincoln bedroom. Maybe they'll be answering the red phone. Maybe they'll be playing with the nuclear missile launch codes. Nobody knows because Barack Obama is an expert at not saying anything and getting away with it with the Liberal Utopian supporters.

This is a question American voters will be asking themselves in November. Whereas people like you, George, will do your typical Liberal Utopian song and dance logic that you love the world, and the world loves you. And there is no evil in the world except what evil our government has created.

George, it's people like you who have been losing ground while Air America Radio has been going fincanically belly up. So it's people like you who have flocked to NPR and created a far leftist voice on public broadcasting.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama becomes president by telling everyone he's gong to change things, without telling anyone how he's going to change things. And the end result is quite possibly that our military presence in weakened. And al-Qaeda makes another terrorist attack. Maybe a dirty bomb nuclear attack on an American seaport that sends economic tidal waves throughout America like never seen before.

And our American troop strength has been dimidiated. There is no recourse. And then we will see the gates of hell open up in America like never before. A hundred times worse than anything that happened after 9/11.

The next ultimate step is that there will come the inevitable confrontation right here in America, between the Michael Moore Liberal Utopians with the rest of America.

And you know what, George. Maybe that is the only way the conflict in America can be resolved. We have to go to hell before a final solution can be achieved.

So, George. How confident do you feel as a Michael Moore Liberal Utopian singing the praises of Barack Obama and the softening of America's war against al-Qaeda?

George, who are you at war with? Who do you think you will be at war with in the future? How good are you at war, George?

Now, I eagerly await your Liberal Utopian reply. I get a kick out of playing with people like you. People who like to act disengenous by acting like an innocent victim who does not know what is happening in the world.

And only wants to know why the rest of America is picking on him. Depriving him of his rights. Making him feel so unfortunate.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 11:43 AM ET | 03-10-2008

Um, when is it appropriate to start questioning the sanity of blog respondents?

Sent by Drew | 12:25 PM ET | 03-10-2008

Thank you for not answering a very simple question, Fred. Whatever the source of your rage, it must frustrate you to realize that the American people have repudiated George W. Bush, the exploitation of terrorism for rhetorical gain, and (for the time being at least) the Republican Party itself -- and that there is nothing you will be able to do about it when a Democrat, whoever he or she is, takes the White House in November. Cheers!

Sent by George de Man, Rome GA | 1:28 PM ET | 03-10-2008

Sent by Drew: Um, when is it appropriate to start questioning the sanity of blog respondents?

Ah, Drew...why do you want to question George's sanity?

He's being honest as he can be. Weak, but he's trying. George simply needs to learn a few lessons.

So, Drew, be kind to George. Don't question his sanity.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 2:33 PM ET | 03-10-2008

Finally someone is vetting her ridiculous claims to foreign policy achievement!

Sent by Nick | 12:52 AM ET | 03-11-2008

Sent by George de Man, Rome GA -- and that there is nothing you will be able to do about it when a Democrat, whoever he or she is, takes the White House in November. Cheers!

George, have you ever heard the phrase, "You're vote really doesn't count that much."

Never has that statement been more true than this election. George, get serious. The Democratic Party is running a woman and a black. Do you for any single moment ever believe that the Democratic Party is going to leave such a sticky situation up to the mob rule of the Democratic voters?

George, you got to watch what the powerbrokers are doing. If you are wondering who the powerbrokers are, they are the people who sign the paychecks of the so-called superdelegates.

Now, George, if the powerbrokers had wanted Hillary out of the race, she would have been out of the race last week in Texas and Ohio. It was that simple a set-up.

You ask yourself why, if the powerbrokers want Hillary to win, did they let Obama get so far ahead?

George, you got to remember that these are the Democratic party powerbrokers, and that they are all descendants of the Keystone Cops. They'd screw up a two-car parade.

So, George, relax. Vote any way you want. But, please, stop losing sleep over this Hillary and Barack thing. The whole situation is being handled by people with a lot of money and a lot of power (and a lot of slapstick comic appeal).

Just keep watching the economic forecasts and the people behind the scenes and you can see which way the winds are blowing for the Democratic Convention in Denver.

While you're at it, if you live in Georgia anywhere close to the Florida border, drive on down to Tallahassee with a forged Cuban passport and get a mail-in ballot when they start sending those things out.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 9:50 AM ET | 03-11-2008

Fred: Do you begin every hostile statement with the first name of the person you're trying to a.) defeat; b.) humiliate; c.) destroy; d.) all of the above?

Sent by George de Man, Rome GA | 9:58 AM ET | 03-11-2008

Sent by George de Man, Rome GA: Fred: Do you begin every hostile statement with the first name of the person you're trying to a.) defeat; b.) humiliate; c.) destroy; d.) all of the above?

George, in no way were you supposed to feel any of the above. There was no defeat, humiliation or destruction involved.

I was merely attempting to make a point to you that a divided America will eventually erupt into a dangerous zone.

George, I have lived through the assassinations of the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, John Lennon, Malcolm X and others.

I have witnessed the L.A. Watts riots, the Miami Overtown riots and Kent State. Not to mention that I've seen much of the ugly that was Vietnam. And you can't even begin to imagine how ugly Vietnam was, and I won't belabor you with gory horror stories.

America can become a very violent place when pushed too far. Nerves are getting frayed between the conservatives and the Michael Moore Liberal Utopian bunch. It's not going to take a whole lot more to push the panic button in America.

Add to the tension that Barack Obama is connected with the Chicago Democratic Machine, as were the Kennedys, and you can visualize how that is making a lot of people nervous.

So, do not feel defeated and humiliated, George. There is no reason for that. We are not just talking about the Democratic Party Machine. We are talking about the CHICAGO Democratic Party Machine.

To be very honest with you, George, dealing with the Chicago Machine, there is no room for being overly sensitive. Excuse me if I am accustomed to dealing with people who have redefined the meaning of 'Thick Skinned.'

I think maybe you misunderstood my intent.

And it is a great distance between being Thick Skinned from being hostile. Being honest to the point that honesty hurts is not hostility. It's the reality of politics.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 1:59 PM ET | 03-11-2008

I am medium skinned. And I have no illusions that hypocrisy is the coin of the realm. I am also quite aware that the Clintons are very dangerous politicians to the right AND the left; they will compromise away anything that obstructs the "Flow." I am aware that five months is a very long time, and that it's probably a good thing that America has to wait for all of the partisan, unforeseen, and organic processes of nature to unfold -- that a Democrat like myself can't just get Obama overnight, but must see that satisfaction earned. I'm also well versed in the History of American Disappointment, which dictates that mediocrity usually wins the contest. If Obama can't make it to shore, it wasn't meant to be. But that won't make me any happier about having the Clintons back in the WH, even though I voted for them twice. That's what reactionaries don't understand: a lot of us didn't really want the Clintons. But we want Bushology even less.

Sent by George de Man, Rome GA | 8:09 PM ET | 03-11-2008

Sent by George de Man, Rome GA: I am medium skinned.

Then stay out of shark infested waters, George (that was a joke).

And before you are done with it all, your skin will probably be thicker. That, or you will get out of the game. Cause you basically can't survive the sharks without some kind of tougher hyde than they can bite through.

If Barack is meant to be, and if Barack is real, then four or eight years down the road he will be doing something astounding. That is the advantage of Barack Obama's youth. He has time on his side.

The disadvantage of Barack Obama's youth is that he can not survive the sharks like Kim Jong Il and Vladimir Putin, to name a few great white sharks (whoops...didn't mean that pun...a few great tiger sharks).

At this juncture in the nuclear game, Barack Obama is too great a gamble. Parents look at their children and they start to think.

And I personally have feelings of even greater fear for Barack Obama's personal safety at this stage of the game. Fears that I would not wish on any man. I went into the army on the day Martin Luther King was assassinated. Bobby Kennedy was assassinated on my birthday two months later.

There are still many a day I say to myself that these things could not have happened. But, dang it, they did. And none of it was fair. But life is not fair.

I repeat, if karma says that Barack Obama is meant to be, it will be down the road. The question is not so much if Barack Obama has the fortitude and patience to persist. The question is whether all of you followers have the fortitude and patience to persist.

Truth be told, you followers can be a fickle lot.

There is too much at stake right now. If Barack Obama does pull it off, then we'll all hold our breaths and accept that that is how the system works.

I personally and strongly believe that Barack Obama's karma is not over with yet. It's going to take time and patience and gumption.

Some day you will look back and you might just see that if Barack Obama has to wait, then it was the best thing fate had going for him.

Good luck, there, George. And just remember that I have a dark sense of humor that is not intended to do harm, per se.

fred camorra call

PS....George, when I went into the army, when King and RFK were killed, that election year offered Richard Nixon against Hubert Humphrey.

You talk about feeling like there was not choice or hope. But, you keep on keeping on. Or, get out of the game.

Sent by fred camorra call | 9:47 PM ET | 03-11-2008

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