Clinton trumpets role as Irish peace facilitator

[jakem]

As she stresses experience, details of impact unclear

DURHAM, N.H. - Traveling around New Hampshire and Iowa in recent weeks, Hillary Clinton has been telling and retelling one particularly moving story about bringing together Catholic and Protestant women in Northern Ireland. The account makes the case that she not only has a deep knowledge of American foreign policy but also has actually helped end violence and conflict.

One might expect that such an important story from her years as first lady would be told in her detailed, 500-page autobiography, "Living History," published in 2003. But it's not there.

A similar anecdote does appear prominently, set in a different location and with another crucial difference - Clinton writes of her role as that of a supportive witness, not the key player who brought enemies together.

Indisputably, Clinton promoted peace in Northern Ireland during several trips there in the 1990s. Among those who followed the peace process, memories differ on whether her role was decisive. One activist from Northern Ireland recalls that Clinton did bring enemies together. A prominent journalist, however, doubts she could have brought foes together for the first time, as she describes.

More than an isolated stump speech snippet, her Northern Ireland story speaks to the larger issue of whether her travels around the world as first lady qualify as serious diplomacy. That experience is a crucial element of her argument that she is the most qualified presidential candidate, and it has drawn fire from her rivals.


http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/07/clinton_trumpets_role_as_irish_peace_facilitator/

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this one is news to me!