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Bully Pulpit

The term "bully pulpit" stems from President Theodore Roosevelt's reference to the White House as a "bully pulpit," meaning a terrific platform from which to persuasively advocate an agenda. Roosevelt often used the word "bully" as an adjective meaning superb/wonderful. The Bully Pulpit features news, reasoned discourse, opinion and some humor.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Who's the Boss?

(Fox News) - A new book paints a picture of how influential Hillary Clinton was during her husband's presidency. "For Love of Politics," by Sally Bedell Smith contends Mrs. Clinton often overruled key advisers in matters such as personnel appointments and presidential speech language. In one incident — after President Clinton seemed to publicly waver on his commitment to his wife's universal health care proposal during an event in Boston in 1994 — Mrs. Clinton was outraged back at the White House.

"She picked up the phone," Smith writes, "and said to the operator, 'Get me the President.' Moments later, Bill came on the line. 'What the (expletive) are you doing up there?' she screamed. 'I want to see you as soon as you get back.'"

"Several hours later," the book says, "Bill arrived by helicopter and walked into the Diplomatic Reception Room, where an aide was waiting to escort him upstairs."

And Smith writes that former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala says Mrs. Clinton pushed the president into signing welfare reform in 1996 — after vetoing two previous bills. "'Bill was anguished, but Hillary was not torn,' (Shalala) recalled. 'She was flat. She saw the political reality without the human dimension. If Hillary had opposed the bill, we would have gotten another veto.'"

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