CNN: Clinton laughs off $ 800,000 payment to Bill for Columbia free trade speech

[grantcart]

Clinton: “How many angels dance on the head of the pin?”



http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/10/clinton-laughs-off-colombia-questions/

Clinton laughs off Colombia questions

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) – Hillary Clinton used her trademark laugh Thursday to deflect a question about the $800,000 her husband earned in 2005 giving speeches for a Bogota-based group that supports the Colombia free trade agreement — the same trade deal she currently opposes.

Asked by CNN if those earnings represented a conflict of interest given that she has dipped into her family's pocketbook to pay campaign bills, Clinton threw up her hands and laughed loudly for several seconds.

"How many angels dance on the head of the pin?," she responded, continuing to giggle. "I have really, uh, nothing to … I mean, how do you answer that?"

The New York senator explained there are different sides to the argument over trade, and re-emphasized her own opposition to the trade deal, assailing the Colombian government's "outrageous" record of "targeting labor leaders."

"I am against the Colombia free trade deal," she said. "It doesn't matter who talks to me. It doesn't matter any circumstances. I have been against it. I am against it. I will be against it absent the kind of changes in behavior that I have been calling for from the Colombian government."

Earlier in the press conference, describing her husband's advocacy for the trade deal, Clinton said: "Everyone is free to express their opinion."

[dkf]

1. Wow. They actually said she continued to giggle...

I'm surprised. They are a lot more blunt than I would have thought.

[grantcart]

3. I expect that this will be seen a few times on CNN tomorrow

[dkf]

7. Laughing at conflicts of interest is a very bad thing. Especially for a lawyer who ought to know

better.

[grantcart]

21. it sounds like shes under a lot of stress

[dkf]

22. Laughing in stressful situations is not exactly the kind of reaction I want in my President.

I can only imagine how insulted some would be.

[grantcart]

23. wonder what that gigle sounds like at 3:00 am

[quantass]

100. Lol...good point

[cyclezealot]

25. IT really makes me appreciate Jimmy Carter as my favorite ex prez.

He works for world peace and self enrichment comes second.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

56. She was laughing at her multiple lies about the Bosnia sniper episode

this does not do her any good and now we have Bill trying to gloss it over.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

58. It is NOT good for her to laugh at her mistakes if she becomes President!

I I just pushed the button to set off that missile ha ha ha, sorry my mistake hahaha

[Road Scholar]

162. Don't worry. LOL nt

[Evergreen Emerald]

41. No. She is laughing at the continued an asinine press coverage

with stupid asinine questions.

[Hepburn]

42. Such a presidential reaction....

...not. :eyes:

[Evergreen Emerald]

44. Right.

Laughing like a human is off limits when it is Clinton.

Amazing how low you guys will stoop to find something to attack Clinton about.

"She does not breath like a Presidental candidate. How dare she. She is so hateful."

[Hepburn]

46. Laughing off $800K?

Ummmm....most of that don't have that luxury as does Queen Hillary.

:eyes:

[stevietheman]

47. Laughing at serious questions is unpresidential. Clearly. n/t

n/t

[Hepburn]

50. Yep....

...but some people don't see how un-presidential that truly is.

[SwampG8r]

77. laughing off influence peddling?

shes against it (she claims)
he takes money for it
they got both sides covered
the new clinton MO

[grantcart]

92. Have you actually seen the video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGeQ6dxGMFA

[tridim]

151. OMG, it's my first time seeing the video.

Obviously guilty. Period.

[JackORoses]

156. That laughter was in no way human. It was a wholly robotic reflex.

It is her oft used tactic for avoiding tough questions. Too bad for her that it no longer works.

She is the very definition of Lame.

[RazBerryBeret]

199. in this case, I don't really give a crap about the laugh....

but I'm a little uncomfortable that she couldn't answer a relatively simple question....they only get harder in the WH.
I WAS offended that she laughed off the sniper lie on Leno. this case, not so much.

[mkultra]

213. sorry but she buckled

and it looked a little crazy.

[EnviroBat]

52. Umm, "asinine question"?

Hardly. She and Hubby are corrupt to the marrow. This campaign is coming to a tragic and broke-ass end. Haven't you had your fill of the delusionaide yet? This woman is not fit to run the country. Another corrupt liar is not what the people want.

[Evergreen Emerald]

55. Corrupt? They are the most open politicans running today

America WE spent BILLIONS uncovering EVERYTHING the Clintons EVERY DID. And there was NO NONE NADA illegal behavior.

Remember Ken Star? He was paid BILLIONS to find illegal activity and found NOTHING. Because there was nothing to find.

Now, Rezko: If you are interested in corruption, why don't you show ANY curiosity about Obama's known LIES about his relationship with Rezko? We know REzko was corrupt. We know that Obama was his friend (Obama keeps lying about his friendship and changing his story as more comes out), We know that Obama took money (we don't know how much because that total keeps changing, recently on a Friday news dump he even disclosed more milllions given to him by Rezko et al).

I believe you are uninterested in corruption, but rather more crap to attack.

Bill Clinton gave a speech. He was paid for it. The topic was Trade and Columbia.

That the HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? How do you make something out of that?

[Hepburn]

73. IMP You really, really need a...

...VERY LARGE does of reality.

[SwampG8r]

78. please

she could eat a puppy in front of you and all you would say is
"she has lovely table manners"
you lose credibility when you defend the undefendable
it seems like all you ever do is dodge and lie about what was said trying desperatly to invent some scenerio where she isnt a liar , a crook and frankly not too bright
im sorry you invested so heavily in her now that she has become the human equivalant of bear-sterns

[SOS]

110. Cost of Ken Starr investigation was $40 million not "BILLIONS"

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/02/01/starr.costs/

[SOS]

111. dupe self delete

[jonestonesusa]

126. Duplicate post - deleted.

[shellgame26]

171. you forgot about Scaife

Oh..but she's best buddies with him now, so it's all ok.

[nealmhughes]

229. Any self-respecting Democrat, in my book, would leave a room Scaife entered, much less hobnob with

him, I could care less how it would play in Pittsburgh or anywhere else. He is lowdown scum, scum, scum. If you smell a rat, Scaife probably is its father. He is one damned good reason for a huge "death tax" as his paid lackies probably coined!

[blm]

173. Clintons LET Whitewater be used to cover for BushInc's need to get into Rose Law Firm and scrub

all the files of its biggest client - Jackson Stephens who brought BCCI into this country as part of Poppy Bush's illegal operations and deals.

The same Jackson Stephens who GROOMED Bill's political career and underwrote his primary campaign in 92 when GHWBush expected to be impeached after BCCI report's release in Dec 1992.

How convenient that all those matters ended up deep-sixed for GHWBush and Stephens and Dubai and Saudi royals all throughout the 90s.

All it cost us was the congress, the return of Bush2, 9-11, this Iraq war and our future war with Iran.

That's all.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

179. blm, Your reply is so well put. I have to book mark it.

I forgot Jackson Stephens' name. This guy was known as a "king Maker", he was a friend of Poppy who backed Bill.

[Baby Snooks]

183. And paid well for it...

No one pays $800,000 for just a speech.

[blm]

184. Dubai didn't pay 20 million for advice from Bill, either. It was payoff for deep-sixing BCCI matters

throughout the 90s.

And that 20 million was only the most RECENT payment from Dubai and Saudi royals to Clinton.

[Baby Snooks]

220. And don't forget the Bushes

He not only deep-sixed the BCCI matters he deep-sixed the Bush connection to the BCCI matters. As well as the Bush connection to a lot of matters. All the "right-wing conspiracy" was interested in was putting a chain on his neck and being able to pull it. And every time they pulled it, he did what he was told. And after he left the White House they removed the collar. And he just jumped in their lap. Wanting his doggie treat. And so Daddy Bush gave him a doggie treat and adopted him. And he kept quiet. Daddy Bush is good to him. Obviously.

No doubt Hillary wants a chain as well. And then she will jump in their laps and want her doggie treat. From her Daddy-in-Law.

She will steal the nomination. And probably lose the election. People are tired of the dynasty.

[D23MIURG23]

209. So open in fact that it took them months to release a simple tax return.

[sce56]

212. Rezko Obama. How about the same guy Rezko and the Clintons

Tony Rezko Photo Adds Fuel to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama Feud

Hillary Clinton condemned Tony Rezko as a "slumlord" who contributed to Barack Obama's campaign. But a photo has since surfaced that shows Senator Clinton and President Bill Clinton posing with Rezko, a Syrian national. They were all smiles.

Clinton was shown the photo during an interview on NBC's Today Show this morning but told host Matt Lauer she did not remember meeting Rezko.

"No, I don't," Clinton told Lauer. "You know, I probably have taken hundreds of thousands of pictures.

During a presidential debate Monday evening, Clinton blasted Obama for his relationship with Rezko, telling Obama she had fought Republican policies as first lady while "you were practicing law and representing your contributor, Rezko, in his slum landlord business in inner-city Chicago."

[truedelphi]

230. Uh, ya know there is the possibility that some dirt would have surfaced

And perhaps have landed one or both Clintons in jail, but Susan macDougall went to jail for months in order to keep them out of trouble.

[dionysus]

61. you call that little conflict of interest assinine?

you really do worship at the clinton altar...

[Evergreen Emerald]

62. He gave a speech. The topic was trade and Columbia

He gets paid for speeches. You guys are so into hate and distortions and lies that you will blow anything and everything out of proportion to peeyourpantsinfauxoutrage.


Conflict of interest? How the hell is that a conflict of interest?

[stillcool]

80. I'm not sure how it is you can square..

the fact that her campaign manager and her husband are lobbying (and getting paid) for a trade deal that she says she is against. I think that can be defined as 'conflict'.

[Jed Dilligan]

95. And they hand out that kind of cash

for speeches that aren't going to change things in their favor.

Yeah. Right.

[closeupready]

119. "How the hell is that a conflict of interest?" Omigod.

Do you really not see how that appears to be a conflict of interest? Do you even know what a conflict of interest IS?

[grantcart]

82. an $ 800,000 payment to her husband to persue policies that she opposes

while she uses personal money to fund her campaign.


Sorry I know its hard when your candidate does dumb things and you have to defend her but this is going to be the weekend story.

[myrna minx]

198. Your once sentence sums it up perfectly.

If this was a question posed to her about the silly bookbag gate, I could understand an astonished and frustrated reaction, but her reaction to this very legitimate question was rather bizarre.

[dkf]

127. Conflict of interest is never an asinine question.

It is the one thing a person needs to be aware of when asking themselves if they can trust whoever they are dealing with.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

131. So rezko is important because he donated

But money earned pimping Columbian free trade which potentially found its way into her funds is not?

[EnemyOfTheocracy]

132. what is stupid about the question?

it is a legit question about a conflict of interest.
she says she fired mark penn for his ties to the deal but Bill Clinton is FAR more in bed with colombian trade.
you would make your surrogate proud with you blind loyalty.

[roguevalley]

181. If that were a bush being asked the question and they laughed it

off, you would howl for blood. we cannot expect less from our side.

[matt819]

187. Goodness, goodness

Spouse of candidate earns eight hundred thousand dollars speaking in support of one side of an issue.

Candidate takes advantage of same income to run for president, including on her platform just the opposite side of the issue.

For a candidate who makes no secret of taking advantage of her spouse's knowledge, contacts, etc., you just have to wonder at the range of conflicts she would deal with as president. And just think at the inside knowledge spouse of said president would gain in the process.

And giggling about it does not inspire confidence. Nor would giggling inspire confidence in a male candidate.

[cui bono]

222. Your response would make me laugh...

if it weren't so sad.

Can't you at least make an attempt at using something factual in your retorts?

How on earth is a question about her conflict of interest in a situation as grave as the deaths of thousands of Colombians attempting to organize unions stupid and asinine? How is it not relevant? How is it not newsworthy?

Do you also think the deaths of the Iraqis and our troops is stupid and asinine?

[grantcart]

87. the video is unbelievable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGeQ6dxGMFA

[quantass]

104. Thanks for the Link.

[invictus]

125. Unbelievable! n/t

[FatDave]

161. My gawd, the cameras!

Did you notice the camera shutters clicking right about the time that laugh was going on way too long? Sounded like a hundred photographers trying to capture the last gasp of a dying campaign on film.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

142. I'd love to see their 2007 tax return, she's cackling over that you bet

cackle cackle cackle. Darn, will the voters in PA read this?

[uberblonde]

191. I'm a voter in PA....

And I can't wait to vote for her!

Believe it or not, husbands and wives often differ on the same issue - or do you live in Stepford?

[uberblonde]

193. So the Obama earmarks for Michelle's employer...

Don't bother you, right?

I mean, if the University of Chicago Hospital needs public funds, shouldn't Michelle have stepped down? I mean, it's an obvious conflict!

[druidity33]

201. huh

well one's a hospital (which are usually in dire need of funds btw).

and the other is a South American neo-Fascist regime. When Colombia talks about its Human Rights record it points to the fact that they've only murdered 23 Union activists this year instead of a thousand...

And wait a minute, Obama didn't personally benefit from said earmark... did he? What, you mean what he did is get money for a publicly financed institution? What? Isn't that what politicians are supposed to do for their districts?



oh and btw, i disagree with my wife sometimes. But i think we would have to sit down and have a long talk before i could agree with her shilling for a Bush-lite government. She'd have to be pretty fucking convincing. Like, "They'll kill us if we don't honey" convincing. I'm poor, but damned sure i'll never get paid in BLOOD MONEY.

:shrug:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

231. Lets see, she profits from his pushing agreements that hurt the people of PA

She claims to oppose the Columbian free trade deal. Just like she opposed NAFTA.

he is getting paid a fortune to do this, as is Mark Flop Sweat and Jowls Penn.

Let me guess, how will all this work out, with one as President, the other as Co President
and big time lobbyiest (more nicel labeled speach maker) for special interest.

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. Hahahahaha!

She's against it...not against Bill supporting it, not when it brings in hundreds of thousands...and exactly what sort of role would Bill play in a Hillary administration, in terms of advisory capacity? A large one, probably, which is why the issues of conflict of interest are very pertinent. She doesn't get to distance herself from Bill when it's convenient and run on his policies and record when it suits her.

[grantcart]

4. well your free to express your opinion

if however you want my opinion on your it will cost you $ 800,000 hahahahahahahha

[dkf]

5. Bill owes people sooo many favors it isn't funny.

Can we imagine if people gave Cindy McCain even HALF of what Bill gets?

And it is not a good omen that Bill Clinton is on the other side of Hillary's stated positions. Is he going to be lobbying her and getting her to "change" her mind in favor of people that gave him and her money?

[Life Long Dem]

6. She has no ethics. What's that say for her supporters? n/t

[catcher]

8. I guess its the same stance she took against NAFTA

she's against it, its just that those who she should have obvious sway over are for it.

[FrenchieCat]

11. some only have a dim bulb lit......and cannot see.....still,

after everything. Amazing!

[EnviroBat]

53. I call them the "dim bulb society".

Problem is, they are actually dangerous to our future.

[grantcart]

9. Breaking AP Hillary opposes Bill on free trade

Clinton presses disputed trade claims
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080411/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_trade_fact_check

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is pressing her claim that she opposed her husband's free trade push when he was president, despite her favorable words about it at the time.
ADVERTISEMENT

They've had more trouble dissociating themselves from the much more consequential North American Free Trade Agreement; Clinton especially, because she spoke up for its passage and early results when her husband Bill was president, years before Obama came to Washington.

THE SPIN:

"I have a long record of being on a different attitude toward trade than my husband does," the New York senator said after a campaign event near Pittsburgh this week. "We disagree on this.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

143. then she should divorce Bill, and ban him from her campaign

otherwise, just more lies.

She's Fake fake fake!

[Stephanie]

219. She should stop spending his money on her campaign, too.

Colombia's $800,000 makes up a hefty chunk of her $5M loan to herself, doesn't it?

[FatDave]

158. "I have a long record of being on a different attitude toward...

...every issue depending on political expedience and the direction the wind is blowing"

[Politicalboi]

204. I bet Bill got more than

$800,000 from Columbia. That is why she is laughing. If you sheep only knew how much we got from Columbia. I like the last line in your post

"I have a long record of being on a different attitude toward trade than my husband does," the New York senator said after a campaign event near Pittsburgh this week. "We disagree on this

So again she is lying about NAFTA and probably about Columbia too. We disagree till I take the office. And again I don't think she will roll back the damage Bush has done to the Constitution.
King George meet Queen Hillary.

[nebula]

10. She will end up voting in favor of this trade deal

800k for speaking my ass.

[SOS]

117. The yes-vote is contained in the OP

" I have been against it. I am against it. I will be against it absent the kind of changes in behavior that I have been calling for from the Colombian government."

Step 1: Colombia orders paramilitary death squads to refrain from slaughtering labor organizers for six months.
Step 2: Free trade lackeys in Congress will hail the "progress" in Colombia.
Step 3: Congress passes Colombia free trade deal.
Step 4: Paramilitary death squads resume shooting labor organizers.

[nebula]

174. Exactly

$800,000 ain't for no speech.

It's a bribe, err payment to the Clinton's in return for them helping to make the trade deal happen.

[SOS]

237. Everything is on schedule

24 hours after our posts, the New York Times comes out with an editorial in favor of the Colombia pact.
The Times never met a job-destroying "free" trade deal they didn't like.

I thought of our posts and chuckled at the predictabilty of our Wall Street plutocrats when I read this drivel in today's Times:

"It is time for Congress to ratify it. (the trade deal)

The trade pact would produce clear benefits for American businesses and their workers.

We remain very concerned over the killing of trade unionists by right-wing paramilitary groups. Last year, we advised Congress not to ratify the trade agreement until Colombia demonstrated progress in investigating the murders and prosecuting and convicting their perpetrators.

Though by no means ideal, the situation today has improved. Thirty-nine trade unionists were killed last year, down from 197 in 2001, the year before the government of Álvaro Uribe came to office.

Pressure from the United States Congress has contributed to this progress, nudging the Colombian government with its offer that gains on the human rights front would lead to ratification of the trade agreement."

The yes-vote is being manufactured right before our eyes.

They only murdered a few dozen labor organizers last year, so the Times and Bill Clinton think it's a good deal.

[Kool Kitty]

233. She's been calling for changes from the Colombian

government? Did she call for those changes before or after Bill gave that speech?

[Eric J in MN]

12. How was she corrupted if her husband got paid for speeches....

...by a group whose position she opposes?

If she were for the trade deal, then it would make sense to ask if she had been corrupted.

[catcher]

15. Its called conflict of interests

What holds more weight 800K in her bank account, or the people who she's making promises to that aren't putting 800K in her bank account?

[LeFleur1]

118. Putting Money In Her Bank Account?

Oh yeah, I forgot. Women don't have an identity, and in your world they don't have their own bank accounts. They are appendages of the men they are married to...or they don't exist at all.

Some of you Obama supporters are too stupid. There are things that are good about Obama. Why don't you try to convince people of those things? Nope. You attack the other candidate with lies, inuendo, name calling and pure unadultrated stupidity. And that reflects on Obama.

Tell us what it is that you see in Obama. Why did he lie about so many things that have been listed on this forum? Try, for once, not to assinate the messenger, but explain the accusations and facts. Maybe you can sway some voters. Maybe the damage you've done is too great and you can't, but it might be worth a try.
Because let me tell you, you are not convincing any Hillary supporter, or McCain supporter, for that matter, to switch to your candidate. And you are going to need their votes to elect your candidate to the office.

[EnemyOfTheocracy]

135. they file joint returns.

it is a blatant conflict of interest.
are you fucking blind!?!

[BornBlue]

140. Try practicing what you preach.

"Some of you Obama supporters are too stupid." Then you go on to say all we do is insult. Hmmmm?

This is relevant because they file taxes together. Spin it however you want, Bill's money is Hillary's money and visa versa.

You did not post one positive argument for your candidate. How can you lecture us? I have repeatedly said that I do not see Obama as a saint as many Clinton supporters like to throw around. I see Obama as the alarm clock for the American people. He is screaming wake up!!! You have been sleeping too long, and now you hold no rank in YOUR government. Obama knows he is not perfect, so do his supporters. His typical white person line was a flop. It was tasteless and not thought out, but really how many of those has he made?
His connections with Rezko, I do not see as that big of an issue. He got a deal on a piece of land that he uses as his home. He did not hurt anyone in the process. Is Rezko a shady person, yes, but these people can also do good legal things as well. I am in Chicago, and am well aware of these "Chicago-Style" politics that people here tout. I have even worked for "the mafia" as a bartender. They are still normal people with families. To a large extent, a lot of it does not exist anymore. The days of Goodfellas are long over. Our governors office was/is/always will be corrupt(I think we should just do away with it). There are shady deals in Cook county, but really its not that bad. Ask yourself honestly, how much $$ did the Clinton's make off of Water-Gate?
The Rev. Wright issue, it looked bad at the beginning, but he handled it well. I am a white woman, who honestly agreed with some of the sentiment. I have no idea what the black experience is in America, but I imagine is is not all that fun. I have openly racist people around me constantly, and it hurts me, I cannot imagine what it is like to have that kind of hate directed at you personally every day of your life.

[BornBlue]

167. I am a little dumb

I of course meant White Water. OOOPPS. :blush:

[catcher]

147. take it however you want

Take it how you want. Either her husband does not take the platforms she is running for president on seriously, or she can't take a principled stance by accepting the 800k in their joint accounts. Since she gets a measure of her wealth from her husbands speaking engagements there is some obvious influence in who he is speaking to and for. And please this is about her trade "policies" don't try to deflect the issue by bringing up other candidates just because old Billie boy got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, oops.

[grantcart]

17. at the same time she is telling PA voters she is against the Columbian trade deal

her husband is pocketing money to help them pass it.


And all she can do is laugh and giggle


This could lose PA for her.

[bvar22]

122. Not just her husband....

..but her "Campaign Manager" and "Chief Strategist" are also pocketing money to help get this passed....ALL while getting paid by Hillary.

The money people are contributing to the Hillary campaign is actually being used to get the Columbian Free Trade Deal passed.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

232. and paying Mark Penn MILLIONS, meanwhile Penn worked for Columbians

The clintons are braisen. They do any damn thing they want,
and then when they get caught, they just laugh it off or lie.

[FrenchieCat]

18. Yeah....just like she didn't support NAFTA while she supported NAFTA......

mixed messages can cause a lot of "fixin'" in order to get things "done" while giving the appearance of not being involved.

Bill obviously hasn't learned his lesson after NAFTA. What does that say about him?

He's out there stomping for her to Union audience. That's kind of like having the Pro-Lifer stomping to Pro-Choice audiences about someone else's pro-choice stance. Makes no sense. Really, it doesn't.

We don't need no "confused" White House full of Drama. We've already had enough of that.

[johnnydrama]

29. I read this point somewhere.

Hillary:

1. Bill is free to have his own opinions on things, that are different than mine, and speak out for them.
2. I was against NAFTA, but I couldn't speak out against it, because Bill was for it.

[progetto]

39. raises the question...

can Hillary "manage" Bill ?

It's almost as if he's trying to sink her campaign.

[Evergreen Emerald]

59. And, Obama's campaign staff visits Canada and tells them Obama is lying

to the American People about his true stance on NAFTA.

But, don't let the facts get in the way of another distortion and attack against Clinton.

[FatDave]

159. Actually, didn't it turn out to be somebody from Clinton's team who went to Canada to reassure them?

Could've swore when that story wrapped up, it turned out to be a complete 180 of the original.

[arikara]

177. Actually it turned out to be Hillary's people

who did that. The Canadian gov't doesn't want nafta reopened. So they made it sound like it was Obama's people.

[quakerboy]

26. The question becomes

does she oppose it, or does she say she opposes it? If you can get past the belief issue, is it ok if the presidential candidates husband might likely lobby her for something that the presidential candidate is using her opposition to as a campaign draw?

Or, in more solid terms, if she were to become president, would she sign it into law when it came to her, despite her earlier claims to oppose it?

[progetto]

60. I'm past it...

She says she opposes NAFTA. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

If Hillary is 44, and Bill remains a loose cannon, he could start to resemble another president's family member, Billy Carter. But I doubt BJC will be selling only beer.

[PoliticalAmazon]

195. Name one thing she has done BEFORE this primary that was anti-NAFTA. n/t

[XemaSab]

69. 800K for a speech by a trade group in a foreign country?

That's some pretty serious conflict of interest there.

[Eric J in MN]

192. It says "speeches" (plural)

It doesn't say how many, which would have been better journalism.

[FrenchieCat]

13. Hillarious!

NOT!

[grantcart]

14. Did you notice this strange response

"How many angels dance on the head of the pin?," she responded, continuing to giggle


CNN must have thought it strange they used it as the caption for the photo.

It sounds like she is starting to crumble under the pressure.



How many bags of cash can dance on the head of a worker?

[FrenchieCat]

19. I've come to expect it.

Which makes it even more strange......that I can come to expect Bush worthy answers coming out of her mouth. :(

[Tinksrival]

210. Do you have any idea what that means?

"How many angels dance on the head of the pin?,"

I never heard that before. That is a strange saying.

edit to add:

Well I googled it and got my answer: a way to express pointlessness.

How Rumsfeldian of her.

[loveangelc]

16. she is Bush-level annoying. Can't wait till she's gone. :)

[FrenchieCat]

20. That aint' gonna be as soon as it needs to be.

She's starting to remind me of Marie Antoinette! :(

[EnviroBat]

57. Well said...

"Bush-level annoying". I like that.

:hi:

[EnemyOfTheocracy]

137. yes me as well.

i never had nothing against her till the lies and the kitchen sink started.
she is now the object of my loathing.
no one i personally know (all democrats) support her.
only old ladies who don't follow politics and clinton worshipping cultists find her palatable.

[arcos]

24. Are you SERIES??!! Or do you mean Colombia? nt

[karynnj]

34. Is the fact that many of misspelled the country's name more significant

than the fact that the potential Democratic first spouse took $800,000 from this country with its record on killing unionists and drugs? This is NOT a close case, where people with differing politics can reach different dependable positions. Bush is not even sending this trade bill to the appropriate committees in Congress.

That HRC is trying to bat this off as an unprovable theological debate is pretty telling. I don't know if there are angels, or if they take up any space because if they exist they don't have corporal bodies - but I do know that the current agreement with Colombia has no worker protections.

[arcos]

145. It is pretty significant...

It proves that people have no clue what they're talking about, to them it is probably just another Latin American country. I'm sure most of those who misspell it probably can't even find Colombia in a map.

I remember whenever I posted a CAFTA thread here, which was quite often during the last year... the same 5 or 10 people would reply, and then it would just sink like a stone. The truth is, people on DU don't care much about this issues, so it strikes me as odd how suddenly the free trade agreement with Colombia is such a hot topic here.... of course, some DU'ers are using the issue politically, and I guess that's fine, although a little hypocritical. And it certainly wouldn't look so bad if at least try read enough to get the country's name correctly.

[jettison]

196. Captain Spell Checker to the rescue!

If you can't argue against it, attack the messenger.

[truedelphi]

146. Her supporters don't care what she does.

Never have never will.

She's a woman -- is their rallying cry.

As someone who spent long long hours as a voting rights activist in 2004, the fact that she called Edwards personally and told him to quit his bitchin' over the election, while he was the one saying that every vote needed to be counted, the fact that her man Carville was involved in some heinous whisperings to Kerry which may well have been the factor having Kerry concede before the vote was counted in OHIO, and that this was about her ambition, her ambition, her ambition to be President this year makes me ill.

[grantcart]

206. thanks for pointing it out - I should have gotten it right

[Major Hogwash]

27. She laughed it off, huh? Her husband pockets almost a million dollars and she laughs it off?

I'll tell ya what, she is psychotic. She is nuts.
I'm serious, she can't laugh off all of the inconsistences in her campaign.

There's no way she will ever be President of the United States.

[Hepburn]

43. Something really is wrong with her....

...the Bosnia total bullshit and now this?

Really odd, IMO. Seems like something beyond just lying ~~ like being totally out of touch with reality.

Edit for typo

[johnnydrama]

28. I actually never thought of it that way

1. Shady foreign dignataries, and businessman pay Bill Clinton millions of dollars for "consulting"
2. The Clintons loan her campaign 5 million dollars

So doesn't 1 + 2 = 3. Shady foreign dignataries help finance Clinton campaign

It sure seems like you can see it that way.

[karynnj]

35. They do have some non-shady dealings

I think it interesting that the tax returns do seem to indicate that the money was from Bill's earnings, why the rule that a spouse can't donate more than any one other than the candidate seemed to apply to no one but John Kerry.

[Skidmore]

30. I finally saw the video of this exchange.

How infuriating that this couple can be so ethically challenged. Corrupt to the core and callous about it. They surround themselves with corrupt people. Bush-Clinton...two sides of the same coin.

[Evergreen Emerald]

64. what evidence do you have that they have any ethical issues?

Ken Starr proved they did not.

Clinton gave a speech. He, as an ex-President gives speeches and makes money from them. Lots of Ex-Presidents do that. The topic was trade and Columbia.


What the hell is wrong with you people that you will use the most non-issues to blow up with your faux outrage.

You are distorting everything and then coming to a conclusion about ethics that has NO basis in fact.

[XemaSab]

75. Ken Starr did not find any evidence of CRIMINAL wrongdoing

First of all, unethical and criminal are two different things. Cheating on your spouse is unethical, but not criminal. "Speaking fees" from a trade group that we're negotiating a major trade agreement with? I don't know if it's criminal, but it certainly doesn't sound ethical. "Appearance of conflict of interest IS conflict of interest."

Secondly, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Just because Ken Starr didn't find any criminal wrongdoing when he completed his investigation 10 years ago doesn't mean there wasn't any then, and certainly doesn't mean there isn't any now.

[Evergreen Emerald]

234. that is rich,. All I have heard regarding Obama and Rezko from Obama supporters

is that "he hasn't been charged with anything."

The difference of course: Ken Starr turned over every piece of paper, every rock and found NOTHING. No unethecial behavior, no criminal activity.

Let's see if Obama could stand up to the same scrutiny. How many times did he look the other way while padding his pocket with Rezko?

Paleesseee..you guys have such hatred that anything and everything puts you in full blown fauxoutragemode.

[grantcart]

107. Its much worse than when I was reading about it

no wonder CNN said she kept on giggling

[4themind]

31. Union groups: put this in an ad pronto!

[quantass]

106. ABSOLUTELY!!! Mandatory!

[Window]

32. Dear Lord! I just saw the clip...she really did cackle.

I'm embarrassed for Hillary.

[Vinca]

33. I'd be laughing, too, if my husband raked in $800,000 for a speech. nt

[JimGinPA]

36. Her Laughter Is So Authentic...

As far as I know.

[TheFarseer]

37. this is exactly what I can't stand about the Clintons

they claim to stand up for the middle class and at the same time pass laws that send their jobs overseas. Thanks alot

[tekisui]

38. Bill's Columbian ties+ Penn's Columbian ties= Conflict of Interest.

[mod mom]

185. So if Hillary is against the stances of Penn and Bill, why does she have them advocate for her?

In fact why doesn't she denounce them as well as the DLC.

[ProSense]

40. Video

posted here

[grantcart]

86. Christ that is much worse than the written report thanks for the link

[xynthee]

166. She's deranged!

She's come completely unhinged, hasn't she? It almost seems as if they edited the video by splicing in a few extra seconds of cackling. Sadly, I don't think that's the case, though.

:scared:

[Barack_America]

"I have really, uh, nothing to…"

Translation, "yeah, you caught me".

Wow. What a weak response. She knows that there's really no excuse for this.

It's time for Obama to come back to PA and nail her on this.

[grantcart]

It even works if you turn off the sound

[Barack_America]

225. Trying that now...

Hey, you're right!

I showed this to a couple of friends today and, lo and behold, one of them ended up getting it e-mailed to her by someone else no more than 5 minutes later.

Will this go viral? (fingers crossed)

[stevietheman]

45. Hillary laughs off all serious questions. Just like Bush. n/t

n/t

[Barack_America]

48. She laughs when she knows she's caught.

She initially tried to laugh off Bosnia as well.

The Obama campaign needs to push this. If Axelrod doesn't mention it today, I'll be very disappointed with him.

[kid a]

49. that's real funny - hahahaha

[workinclasszero]

51. She laughs

and counts her money while poor people working for slave wages at Walmart suffer.

Union people in Columbia are slaughtered like pigs and Bill Clinton goes to bat for their killers!!

And Hillary LAUGHS!!!!!!!!:mad::mad::mad::argh:

[mckeown1128]

54. Leads one to wonder what exactly Bill would be doing

as "roaming ambassador."

[L0oniX]

63. cackle cackle cackle

Hmmm I thought Bill Clinton was for the Columbia trade deal. I sense a little fight might be going on at home.

Bill Clinton's Ties To Colombia Trade Deal Stronger Than Even Penn's
April 8, 2008 12:59 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/08/bill-clintons-ties-to-col_n_95651.html

[Evergreen Emerald]

66. There you go...show the world DU sexism at it's finest

[Catherina]

67. No amount of imagination makes that anything other than a cackle

There's not sexist about it. Some people laugh. Other people cackle. Hillary cackles.

[ampad]

74. That cackle will soon be as well known

as the Bush smirk.

[NorthCarolina]

202. Or the Dean Scream nt

[Lucky 13]

99. Please... give us any other word to describe that laughter.

It's not giggling. It's not chuckling. It's not a belly laugh. It's a fucking cackle. Give us an accurate better word to use...

[Lena inRI]

223. Bwhhaaaahaaaa. . . .touche Lucky13!

And you sure made me give out a guffaw. . .

and Hillary is definitely cracking while she's cackling !
:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[jettison]

197. Say something negative about a woman = sexism...

...in your distorted world. Meanwhile, the actual sexism that exists gets neglected or even negated if enough people keep crying "sexism!" everytime they don't like what they hear or read.

[TexasObserver]

65. Cackle, cackle, cackle! They call her THE CACKLER!

Her take on that $800,000 is $400,000. She's dirty. Why doesn't she give HER $400,000 to some of the American workers in Pa. who have lost their jobs to "free trade?"

[grantcart]

83. and that money went into the campaign

[grantcart]

84. and that money went into the campaign

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

144. shes cackling her ass off all the way to the bank - **photo of actual cackling**

and she has alot more ass to go!

[catgirl]

68. It's such a laughing matter

I don't believe a word she says.

[Raffi Ella]

70. Give'em Hell Hill

That's a great picture of her, thanks for the post :)

[XemaSab]

76. She looks AFRAID

The look in her eyes there? That's FEAR.

And I'm all in favor of it. :D

[FatDave]

160. As the question was being asked, it looked more like dread

Like she was thinking "oh shit, here it comes, I've got nothing for this..." The laugh, the "how many angels", the "how do you answer", all pure panic. She had nothing. Not even an effective dodge. She was caught off guard, which is amazing in itself.

[grantcart]

94. what ever you do please don't click on the video

[burythehatchet]

108. The pic in your tag line in much better

thats the one I framed and put in my Hill Altar in the closet underneath the stairs. It sits right nest to the MP3 player set to replay her laughter in a non-stop loop 24/7. It stops playing from 3 to 4 AM in case the phone rings.

[meow mix]

71. she clicked her manufactured cackle button

i hate the cackle button

[ampad]

72. Yup everyone is free to express their opinion

says Clinton except for Rev Wright. Unlike Bill Rev Wright will not be living in the White House. Unlike Bill Rev. Wright never ran for office and was never the freaking POTUS. She is a fucking hypocrite and thinks the American people are stupid. The only ones falling for this mess are those that blindly follow her to the end.

[CakeGrrl]

79. I'm hopeful that Obama's team is on top of all this stuff

and will use it wisely and strategically. Enough of her manufactured B.S. about him - he needs to hold this real dirt and duplicity against her.

[Barack_America]

81. How could she not have a response planned for this?

That question was inevitable. How could her campaign possibly not prepped her for that?!?!

[DerekJ]

124. I've asked myself the same question ..!!

Myself had no answer.

[BeyondGeography]

85. This was even worse than usual

How can Democrats look at that and see a President?

[grantcart]

88. The video is here and it is unbelievable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGeQ6dxGMFA

[Bonobo]

89. Yeeeeowch.

Stick a fork in her, she's done.

[Hepburn]

101. She sounds mentally deranged......

...yep, the video is something else!

[uponit7771]

90. "don't know how to answer" = not prepared on day one for a damn thing! She make Obamas point for him

[grantcart]

93. Senator Clinton please put the phone down

[grantcart]

91. will this be as well known as the dean scream?

[JBoy]

116. Equivalent to the Dean scream, but more like the Ashley Simpson hoe-down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaK-Z6dLrQM

[FatDave]

163. JBoy, I'm glad I wasn't drinking milk when I read that

It surely would have snarfed out of my nose. Very funny and spot on.

[bigbrother05]

96. ..

cackle=lies Hillary

pointing finger=lies Bill

[grantcart]

102. moves his lips = Bush lies

[Redbear]

97. How can it be a conflict of interest when she takes the position opposite

of her husband?

It really is laughable.

[crankychatter]

109. her voting record vs public proclamations

she's supposedly reformed on a host of issues

the issue is credibility

it's not felony conflict of interest

yet

[Redbear]

175. Lots of democrats were pro-"free trade" have changed their minds

It sounded like a good idea to a lot of us at the time

[EFerrari]

236. Her husband is taking money from people

who have labor organizers murdered - Colombia has the highest murder rate in the world of trade union organizers.

You think that's funny?

[SoCalDem]

98. And why wasn't the NEXT question

"Mrs. Clinton, why do you think that's funny?"..and why do you substitute laughter for serious answers to tough questions?"

[uponit7771]

113. RIGHT!! The free trade agreements we have today are hurting this county and she laughs

[thevoiceofreason]

103. Not her fault - she's Flemish

[FatDave]

168. I should have known!

It's those god-damn Flemish again!

[crankychatter]

105. I can't believe she didn't have an answer prepared

that is SO unprofessional

never trust a politician that doesn't lie better than YOU do

[uponit7771]

115. HRC = not prepared on day 1 for a damn thing

[quantass]

112. He's not got a TON of Incriminating material against her, a TON of ad money,+ a coffin ready for her

[burythehatchet]

114. The word "cackle" was invented for that display

[LeFleur1]

121. Here's Her Answer

She does not support the Colombia Trade Agreement.

How hard is that to understand?

[thevoiceofreason]

123. But she's ok on profiting from it and keeping Penn on board?

Who's whispering in her ear? Oh, that's right. She doesn't listen to anyone so it won't matter.

[burythehatchet]

128. Here's the context: She's not an honest individual

That shouldn't be too difficult to comprehend.

[Binka]

149. You Really Shouldn't Reply To That Sock Puppet

A few searches and it is real easy to figure out who it REALLY is.

[kid a]

120. VIDEO LINK HERE - must see, rate, digg, and forward

There is a link upthread, but just another one here for visibilty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGeQ6dxGMFA

[LeFleur1]

129. Turn About

I see the insults are concerning her "cackle".
Let's talk about annoying idiocyncracies.

If something isn't written down it takes Obama far too long to answer a question. UH, UM are his two favorite words. Without a speech (maybe a speech writer) he can't seem to get his thoughts together to answer a question. It makes one think the person who writes his speeches is the smart one. He is the uh, um, one.

See it's really easy to focus on sh** rather than issues. The Obama supporters do it all of the time. Keep it up. Your candidate is going to lose. If not the nomination, then in the general election.

[kid a]

136. This is about the content of the question and her response - not um....

[FatDave]

164. He does say "Uh" and "Um" a lot

And he knows it's a bad habit and is trying to not do it as much. But if you bother to listen, you'll see he's actually getting his thoughts together just fine. He's carefully thinking his answers out as he gives them. Nothing wrong with that, and IMO better than having a canned response for everything. He just needs to work on the "umms" a bit.

[thesquanderer]

186. Better Link

This CNN link is much better than than the YouTube one...

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/04/11/sot.clinton.laughs.off.pool

It doesn't have the commentators acting like jerks, and it actually plays her long enough to show you that she then *did* go on to address the question.

She still comes off strange, though. I might buy sleep deprivation for *this* one.

[locker13]

130. wow

[Colobo]

133. This is disturbing. How can America expect to trust Hillary

if she laughs at what seems to be an obvious case of conflict of interests?

[BzaDem]

134. You are all unbelievable.

You need to step out of your hate-everything-Clinton shoes just for a moment. Out of an income of 109 million dollars over the last 7 years, less than one percent of it was earned for that speech. So because of that, she can't loan her campaign any of the other 99%?

I guarantee you if the situation were reversed, you would be screaming over the coverage of Obama.

It's a shame that this post is representative of GDP.

[kid a]

138. Are you trivializing the conflict of interest of the payment to the Clintons?

[BzaDem]

139. I can really see why Hillary laughed. It is quite rediculous.

Let's repeat... less than one percent of BILL's money came from giving that speech. Therefore, Hillary can't loan herself part of the OTHER 99%. That is what you are saying.

[kid a]

141. So here is a 1% conflict of interest given that they file jointly

[Binka]

150. Hey Idiot We Told You The Other Day RIDICULOUS Doesn't Have A Fucking E In It

[grantcart]

207. The point is that the Clinton's took the money while at the same time she is

campaigning on the other side of the issue.

[meow mix]

148. "Todays Hillary" is The Joker

did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?

[Connie_Corleone]

153. That's the same exact thing I thought of last night when I read this story. LOL!!

She's the Joker now.

[meow mix]

157. Jack Nicholson should re-do his Hillary commercial

:hi:

[grantcart]

188. exactly

[FatDave]

165. Why is space 3-dimensional but time only 1-dimensional?

And if photons have no mass, why are they affected by gravity? Why do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway?

[liberaldem4ever]

152. K & R!!

[gulfcoastliberal]

154. K&R nt

[tabasco]

155. Hey Hillary! When are we gonna get that health care you promised?!?

CACKLE! CACKLE! CACKLE!

[Mme. Defarge]

169. "I mean, how do you answer that?"

How about, "Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no."

[Az_lefty]

170. She's against it even though her family profits from it..Total fucking hypocrite!

This is why I will never support that two faced phony.

[madrchsod]

172. who is better at laughing at a question-hillary or bush

both use laughter to show disgust for their questioner and use it to evade the answer

[Radical Activist]

176. She won Ohio on a lie.

It shouldn't be a surprise. Her husband lied about his NAFTA position too in '92.

[Danger Mouse]

178. Why wouldn't she answer the question?

[quantass]

180. omg

[thevoiceofreason]

182. Her laugh says a lot to the poker players out there

Play a bit myself - and it is one of her biggest "tells." She did this a couple of times during the debates also when she gets slammed by a question for which she has no good answer, her manner of stalling for time to formulate an answer, and to (subconsciously) signal that the question is painful is to laugh.

[grantcart]

208. actually it says a lot to anyone over the age of 4 lol

[Infinite Hope]

189. She doesn't know if it'll be a conflict of interest??? "How do you answer that?"

Wow. How about honestly? The analogy to angels dancing on a pin implies "I don't know."

[quantass]

190. k&r

[Autumn Colors]

194. The name of the country is spelled Colombia, not Columbia

Columbia is the name of a university.

I see this misspelled all over the place around here. It's spelled correctly in the article. The OP may want to correct the subject title.

EDIT: I see someone else commented and got a reply asking if the misspelling was more significant than the topic at hand. Probably not, but the name is spelled in the article right there. Suppose I'll get a smart-ass comment in response but we don't hesitate to point out when freepers misspell words (and continue to use them as a joke), so why do people get their noses out of joint when things are pointed out here?

Just a rhetorical question, I guess.

[grantcart]

203. I hadn't noticed that before but I should have thanks for the heads up

Way too late to edit but I appreciate it

[grantcart]

205. actually I was more influenced by the Columbia river than the U

[arcos]

228. Thank you :) nt

[Rosa Luxemburg]

200. I hope people in PA know about Hillarys' Columbia connection?

[Closeted Lefty]

Eerily similar

This reminds me of the fact that Hillary was sitting on the board of Walmart, the largest single profitter of free trade agreements, when Bill was elected. She and good ole boy Sam Walton (Walmart Founder) and Bill were very friendly and they all made a shit load of money off NAFTA and free trade.
Now, Bill is in bed with the Columbians, and i would bet Hillary will flip right over and allow Columbian free trade,
would probably happen in her first month in office!

[grantcart]

215. welcome to DU

[Closeted Lefty]

211. Eerily similar

This reminds me of the fact that Hillary was sitting on the board of Walmart, the largest single profitter of free trade agreements, when Bill was elected. She and good ole boy Sam Walton (Walmart Founder) and Bill were very friendly and they all made a shit load of money off NAFTA and free trade.
Now, Bill is in bed with the Columbians, and i would bet Hillary will flip right over and allow Columbian free trade,
would probably happen in her first month in office!

[Yes We Did]

214. Bushian.... How can Pennsylvanians actually vote for her? I don't get it!

[Hieronymus]

216. "I mean how do you answer that?" .. well, truthfully maybe.

[aaronbees]

224. She can't do that...

I'm convinced she's pretty close to incapable of being honest now; she's that desperate. Hence the laughter. And she's laughing at us. Despicable and Bush-like.

[TexasObserver]

217. How many pinheads can dance at the top of her campaign?!

She is lousy at responding to questions that she doesn't see coming. What a doofus she is!!

A total nerd.

[file83]

218. If I were a Psychologist, I'd say the first thing she said was the most revealing:

"How many angels dance on the head of a pin?"

It's almost like a Rorschach test; She's asked a simple question, gets defensive, and says the first thing that comes to her mind.

Of all the 100's of thousands of ways she could have answered that question, she picked that one philosophical hypothetical. At a conscious level she may think that the meaning of her phrase (the futility of asking questions that can't be answered) is what was important. But at a subconscious level, her mind picked the phrase that actually slips in a bit of truth between the words, so-to-speak.

It's a subconscious way of her mind revealing that the subject ($800,000 or just $$$ in general) is what she worships (angels).

Money is her religion, and so "Yes, it's a conflict of interest, duh!" is what she seems to be saying. At least the way I interpreted it.

[Frank Booth]

221. Hey, I'd be laughing too if my spouse just got $800,000.

Of course, in my case, the future of the country isn't at stake.

[Barack_America]

226. Posting the VIDEO link again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGeQ6dxGMFA

Share it with your friends.

:hi:

[Beregond2]

227. Wow

...that's unbelievable. Did she seriously think this wouldn't come up? "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" Is she trying to say this isn't a matter of fact, just some kind of abstract speculation? She isn't even making any sense.

I'm not gloating; this is painful to watch.

[DesEtoiles]

235. is she on drugs?