Based on Minoan and Mycenaean seals and other artifacts from the Bronze Age, many scholars believe that the Greek goddess Hera was once equal (if not superior) to her divine consort, known in the classical age as Zeus. And many feminists and Clinton acolytes see the former First Lady as this kind of Hera.
Hillary, however, more closely resembles the Hera of classical antiquity, the unhappy wife jealous of her husband’s many extramarital activities. Meanwhile, columnist Peggy Noonan well resembles Athena, the wise daughter of Zeus, daughter to Metis the goddess of wisdom. This Athena has been taking on her spiritual stepmother for at least the past decade, having penned in 2000, The Case Against Hillary Clinton.
In her latest column, this modern incarnation of a Greek deity once again tackles her Olympian rival, explaining the reason’s for the former First Lady’s comeback:
She kept her own spirits up to the point of denial and worked it, hard, every day. She is hardy, resilient, tough. She is a train on a track, an Iron Horse. But we must not become carried away with generosity. The very qualities that impress us are the qualities that will make her a painful president. She does not care what you think, she will have what she wants, she will not do the feints, pivots and backoffs that presidents must. She is neither nimble nor agile, and she knows best. She will wear a great nation down.
In any case the Clinton campaign, which has always been more vicious than clever, this week did a very clever thing. They pre-empted any criticism of past scandals by pushing a Democratic Party button called . . . the Monica story. Mr. Obama is “imitating Ken Starr” by speaking of Mrs. Clinton’s record, said Howard Wolfson. But Ken Starr documented malfeasance. Mr. Obama can’t even mention it.
Peggy further notes that “Clinton surrogates . . . are unappealing when winning.” No wonder Jim Geraghty notes today that *Voters Prefer To Support Hillary When She’s Losing.” In national polls, Hillary lost ground to Obama since winning the Texas and Ohio primaries.
Check Jim’s post out. And make sure to read Peggy because even when she’s wrong, she makes a good point, just like her divine counterpart on Olympus.
You could write a movie script on this. Call it Clash of the Titans. Maybe Harry Hamlin, Susan Fleetwood, and Claire Bloom could star in the film.
Oh, wait….
With the Clintons, it would be Clash of the Titanic Egos.
GPW – Where do you get this? Why do you think it? Sincere question. Seems to me that Hillary doesn’t have the slightest jealousy of her husband’s activities; that she and Bill are the proverbial gay couple that "sleeps with other people"; that Hillary has always known of Bill’s activities and been OK with them – and, has lied to the American nation, in pretending otherwise.
I get it from observing Ms. Hillary. She just doesn’t seem very happy. To me, it seems she accepts his dalliances as the cost of being tied to a powerful (and popular) politician with charm, but wishes he were faithful.
I see her unhappiness and anger, but I attribute it to other causes. Like her unhappy childhood, and her (self-chosen – because people do determine their own characters) deep lust for power over other human beings.
That too, but part of me thinks she really did fall for Bill, his charm and all.
I’m with Dan on this one. Michael Medved, who knew both of them at Yale Law School, talks about how they genuinely seemed to care for each other. Sure that was over 30 years ago, and Bill has decided that his insatiable sexual appetite is more important than anything.
Hillary would love to have some of that charm directed towards her, but it hasn’t been for years. So she goes after what is most important to her – power. She thought she needed Bill for that, the last few weeks are showing that maybe he is a liability after all. But now in order to be president, she can’t simply throw the cad out – too many people in this country would hold that against her. Maybe if she left him after Monica things would be different, but then, she wouldn’t be senator for NY would she?
Interesting. Well, I still say that when she went on the Sunday morning talk shows in the late 90s to cry over Monica, she was knowingly play-acting. That is: lying.
I think it is worth noting that Bush was praised for the fact he stuck to the course and did as he thought was best, whether it was good or not. He built a lot of his 2004 election win on the fact that he wasn’t going to change and that people knew where he stood.
Peggy goes after her for that, just be cause she disgarees with her positions I imagine. If Hillary was a republican running, she would be praised for these quailities. She would steadfast and fight on but because she isn’t fighting for conversative principles that makes her bad…well perspective is everything.