Margaret Carlson falsely claimed, "Everyone responsible for bringing peace to Northern Ireland is on the record saying [Clinton's] claim to involvement there is complete fiction"
SUMMARY: Margaret Carlson falsely claimed of Sen. Hillary Clinton, "Everyone responsible for bringing peace to Northern Ireland is on the record saying her claim to involvement there is complete fiction." In fact, several figures involved in "bringing peace to Northern Ireland" -- including former Sen. George Mitchell, U.S. special envoy to Northern Ireland and former Social Democratic and Labour Party leader John Hume -- have reportedly stated that Clinton played a role in the peace process.
In her March 13 Bloomberg News column, Margaret Carlson falsely claimed of Sen. Hillary Clinton, "Everyone responsible for bringing peace to Northern Ireland is on the record saying her claim to involvement there is complete fiction. But question that, or her '35 years of experience' and you'll be accused of sexism." In fact, former Sen. George Mitchell (D-ME), who served as a U.S. special envoy to Northern Ireland and chaired the talks leading up to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, said in a March 10 interview with CBS' Katie Couric that he thought the statements Clinton made regarding her role in the peace process "are generally accurate to the extent that they have been relayed to me." Mitchell, who has not endorsed a candidate for president, also said: "She was helpful and supportive, very much involved in the issues, knew all of the delegates."
From Couric's March 10 interview of Mitchell:
COURIC: There has been a lot of controversy about Hillary Clinton's foreign policy credentials, and some of the claims she's made. She's talked about being active in the Good Friday Agreement, the agreement in Northern Ireland which you, of course, spearheaded. Can you describe her role in that process?
MITCHELL: She was helpful and supportive, very much involved in the issues, knew all of the delegates. She accompanied President Clinton on each visit he made to Northern Ireland, made several visits of her own. Her greatest focus was on encouraging women in Northern Ireland to get into and stay in the political process and the peace process. And I have said publicly many times and wrote in my book, the role of women in the peace process in Northern Ireland was significant. It did have a -- make a difference in the process, so as I said I think it was a helpful and supportive role.
COURIC: Her claims to be involve, then, you believe are not exaggerated?
MITCHELL: Well, I haven't seen the exact words that she has used to describe it. I've gotten a lot of calls from reporters who've told me what she said, but I think her statements are generally accurate to the extent that they've been relayed to me.
Additionally, the March 12 edition (subscription required) of The Irish Times reported that Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said, "Senator Clinton played an important role in the peace process," and former Social Democratic and Labour Party leader John Hume said, "I can state from first-hand experience that she played a positive role for over a decade in helping to bring peace to Northern Ireland." From The Irish Times report, accessed via the Nexis database:
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams told The Irish Times that, although he admires all three remaining US presidential candidates and is not endorsing any of them, Mrs. Clinton is justified in claiming a role in the peace process. "David Trimble is reported as saying Senator Hillary Clinton played no part in the Irish peace process. That is not true. Senator Clinton played an important role in the peace process," he said. "I met the senator on many occasions when she was First Lady, and subsequently when she became a senator for New York State. I always found her to be extremely well informed on the issues."
Former SDLP leader John Hume has also come to Mrs. Clinton's defense, expressing surprise that anyone should doubt the importance of her contribution.
"I can state from first-hand experience that she played a positive role for over a decade in helping to bring peace to Northern Ireland," he said in a statement posted on Mrs. Clinton's website.
"There is no doubt that the people of Northern Ireland think very positively of Hillary Clinton's support for our peace process, due to her visits to Northern Ireland and her meetings with so many people. In private she made countless calls and contacts, speaking to leaders and opinion makers on all sides, urging them to keep moving forward."
From Carlson's March 13 column:
Hillary's Fiction
Everyone responsible for bringing peace to Northern Ireland is on the record saying her claim to involvement there is complete fiction. But question that, or her "35 years of experience,'' and you'll be accused of sexism.
Well considering Clinton said "I helped bring peace to Northern Ireland", that was largely overstated. According the PM Trimble, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize for his effort in Northern Ireland, he called her claim "silly".....and said she was basically a cheerleader following her husband around.
But if one needs to push her claim of more experience than Obama, these myths of hers need to be kept alive.
So PM Trimble either constitutes or speaks for "Everyone responsible for bringing peace to Northern Ireland"?
Which one is it?
Some played only a small role but every role and every person's effort was responsible for bringing peace. I'm pretty sure that Senator Clinton wasn't a major player, but she played a part. So her claim is not complete fiction.
-- Perhaps Carlson is guilty of a little hyperbole -- tommy
Atta boy...keep deflating the pedantic efforts of the mmfa legions with common sense. I drop by occasionally to check the liberal pulse and always find that nothing has changed.
Hillary's brag about bringing peace to Northern Ireland is laughable...and her supporters know it. Yet, their arguments are the same old Bill Clinton-like parsing of words...you know...it depends on what the definition of is is.
Its long been known...but rarely admitted...that mmfa is part of the Clinton machine. Since the presidential election cycle has heated up over the last year...the silliness exhibited by mmfa in their defense of all things Hillary has come home to roost.
Proof? One only needs to check the traffic count at mmfa. It has fallen to the levels of their start up in 2004.
Keep up the good work, tommy...you've got the patience of Job
And Mitchell said she "knew all the delegates", well that says it then, she must have been instrumental in the peace process.
I guess she studied their names on Air Force One on the way over (eye roll)
Last I heard, the Nobel committee was in the right-wing dog house over their love of Al Gore. I guess the credibility of the Nobel Prize can come in handy once in a selective while.
PM Trimble shared that Nobel Peace Prize with SDLP leader John Hume who "has also come to Mrs. Clinton's defense, expressing surprise that anyone should doubt the importance of her contribution." Hume states:
http://facts.hillaryhub.com/archive/?id=6490 http://facts.hillaryhub.com/archive/?id=6430
If these links don't work, just go to The Fact Hub (under the Newsroom button) and check out the entries on Northern Ireland for 3/8 and 3/12.
Ok Carlson you are hereby accused of sexism.
Happy dahlick?
She wasn't directly involved in the talks, but she was there working with womens groups to bring pressure for the peace movement, so she does deserve some credit for her roll, even if it was less of a role than she has implied, making your achievements and experience sound greater than they are is standard politics for all politicians.
"She wasn't directly involved in the talks, but she was there working with womens groups to bring pressure for the peace movement, so she does deserve some credit for her roll, even if it was less of a role than she has implied, making your achievements and experience sound greater than they are is standard politics for all politicians."
Yeah, but aren't you tired of standard politics? Standard politics brought us the Iraq War, and standard politics caused Bush to win in 2004.
But I agree she does deserve some credit for her role. but it's power by proxy, not actual power, and she can't claim otherwise. Or well, I guess she can, but I for one can see through the BS.
speaking of witch... Hillary's camp wants to keep the remaining primary polls open till 2 am. Apparently she becomes more appealing the closer it gets to last call. :-)
ba-da-boom!
Hillary's camp wants to keep the remaining primary polls open till 2 am
AA, where did you hear that? I hadn't heard about it. Do you know what her reason is?
My bad, Solon. I'm accustomed to actual humor, where you start with a truth, then add on the wacky twist. AA was using Ditto-humor, where you make up a punch line, then creat a lie to set it up.
Honestly, I thought he was serious about the keeping the polls open part. I've got to stop overestimating people who give me no reason to do so.
Sorry Col.
I thought the ba-da-boom gave it away.
Sometimes you just gotta lighten up a bit. One bad joke is worth at least to bad insults. :-)
AA,
The Jay Leno School of 10-Year-Old Monologs called, they wanna know when that sabbatical 'offically' began...
... Then Bill said, "Take my wife... Please!" ;-)
I've been reading MM for a long time now and I appreciate the scrutiny they bring to the media but its really really hard to ignore the pro-clinton bias in these stories lately.
I don't need to be told the mission of Media Matters, I know what it is, they are under no obligation to hold Mrs. Clinton's feet (and words) to the fire but at the same time they don't need to distort the record in her benefit.
I'm really hopeful the staff @ MM will cool it off a little bit while this primary process figures itself out.
Lame, AA.... but in line with your usual standards... :)
I heard John McCain wants to postpone the election until January ... His handlers figure it will take until then to explain his two or three positions on every issue.. :)
Hahaha... Good one. Low standards? That's an improvement!
I hear Obama and Hillary are complaining that McCain is using unfair campaign funding. They are upset He is able to use his his tax deferred IRAs to help fund his campaign. :-)
I'll be here till Thursday. Enjoy the veal!
I was walking in downtown Boston today, on my way to a Hillary Clinton steering committee meeting. I was handed a pamphlet which claimed that Michael Bloomberg was responsible for the 'devil in my laptop'. I sincerely hope that Margaret Carlson does a better job of getting the facts straight, in responding to that story...than she does in the Hillary 'hit job'.
Ireland loved the Clinton's. It's St. Patrick's Day.
Is she nuts?