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The Republicans Smear Campaign Against The Clintons Is "More Ado About Nothing" By Dr. Wumi Akintide

If God was not on their side, Bill Clinton’s ambition should long have been derailed by his flirtations with many women like Jennifer Flowers and several other women before Monica Lowinsky showed up. Bill was the most eligible bachelor before he got married to Hillary following their chance meeting in the Yale University Law Library. If I was a woman I too would have a crush on Bill Clinton because the guy was a very handsome, intelligent and promising young man. The Republican could care less about that. They saw him as a democratic star who has to be stopped by all means because they saw him as a big threat to their own interest.

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The fans of this column should regard this piece as my first salvo. The last and final salvo will come after Hillary’s inauguration as the first female President of the United States by the special grace of God.

 I use the words “special grace” because we all need that special grace as mortals. America is by any stretch of the imagination the only surviving super power today and the leader of the Free World by acclamation and consensus.

 The Soviet Union broke up into 15 independent Republics following the end of the cold war which the United States clearly won. China which is now toasted as the super power of the future because of her population, resourcefulness, and economy is always humble and realistic enough to admit she is still a developing country and a far cry compared to America. No other European country or any member of the NATO Alliance would tell you it is superior to the United States the undisputed leader of the NATO Alliance Japan another economic giant in the Pacific is in no position to challenge America and neither Canada, Australia and New Zealand would ever muster muscle or energy to claim parity with America for the leadership of the free world. If you agree with that analysis, you will agree with me that America is still the greatest country on Earth despite her foibles or shortcomings here and there.

When it comes to politics and how it is played here, I would argue that America, for all her strength, civilization and power is still one of the most naïve countries of the world because of their audacity of hope in expecting their Presidents to be a perfect human being. I am a great fan of MSNBC “Morning Joe” my favorite talk-show TV program which runs from 6 to 9 AM Monday thru Friday. It is a great program that I wish a country like Nigeria can have. I am hoping that Sahara Reporters TV can one day put together a panel of experts like that to discuss and dissect what goes on in Nigeria in pretty much the same way like “Morning Joe” does for America.

If God Almighty Himself were to come down to seek the American presidency, “Morning Joe” and its panel of experts, as a rule, would want take Him (God) to the cleaners by asking if He is transparent enough to be President of the United States. They would forget that “He is God and that He is the Alfa and Omega, the beginning and the end and the same yesterday, today and forever” If America can do that to God, there is nobody else who seeks the presidency that can escape being tarnished or criticized for one reason or the other by Micah and Joe Scarborough who lead the panel most of the time.

 Both of them are as smart as hell but they sometimes want to play God with some of their analysis. I have been closely following their criticism of the Clintons but more so Hillary. Joe Scarborough who is a Republican does not hide his party label and bias, and it is clear that Micah too does not hide her party label and bias as a liberal. You can say the same thing about all of the experts in that panel including their part-time contributors which include some of the best in the business like Eugene Robinson, Chuck Todd, Harry Ford and so many other pundits who show up on the program from time to time.

 Americans pundits and intellectuals, as a rule, believe that anything made by man and even things made by God, can be infinitely improved. That is why America is never satisfied with where she is and where she is headed. The country is always on the move trying to break new frontiers and doing so with the persistence of a demon. I admire America for that curiosity and drive but they sometimes drive the rest of the world nuts by their “holier than thou” attitude and presumptions and their inclination to want to forever dominate the world.

 The Republicans in particular have carried that notion of American superiority to a ridiculous level by their preoccupation to want to involve America in a perpetual state of war and their discriminatory or condescending attitude to other races and viewpoints. Their obsession to want to tarnish the Clintons and obstruct their destiny as a power couple in American politics is a case in point.

I recall Hillary Rodham holding the bible on January 9, 1979, as her husband, age thirty-two, is sworn in as the nation’s youngest governor by Arkansas Chief Justice Carleton Harris in the House chamber of the State Capitol. The Republicans have been targeting the couple for destruction ever since because they are very jealous of the couple and their success in American politics.

The couple has become the most investigated political couple in American history for 36 years. Those investigations have taken a toll on the couple making them wary and suspicious that the conservative media and the Republicans in particular are never going to see anything good in them. They have become more or less paranoid, and rightly so, that that the Republicans are going to dig some dirt around them regardless of what they do. The Republicans have always tried but failed to stop the couple from achieving their destiny.

They did it for all of the Clinton’s 12 years as governor of Arkansas and 8 years as President of the United States. They did it for all of the 6 years of Rodham Clinton as successor to Senator Patrick Moynihan of New York in the United States Senate, and for all of her 4 glorious years as Secretary of State. It is as if God Himself is the one who has charted the way for this couple to become a force to reckon with in American politics. The Yorubas in their wisdom got it exactly right when they said, “Asoro se bi nkan to Olorun ko lowo si” meaning “As difficult as anything that God does not support or approve” Hillary and her husband of more than 40 years have gone thru a lot together since their wedding on October 11, 1975 in the living room of 930 California Boulevard- now 930 West Clinton Drive at Fayetteville.

If God was not on their side, Bill Clinton’s ambition should long have been derailed by his flirtations with many women like Jennifer Flowers and several other women before Monica Luwenski showed up. Bill was the most eligible bachelor before he got married to Hillary following their chance meeting in the Yale University Law Library. If I was a woman I too would have a crush on Bill Clinton because the guy was a very handsome, intelligent and promising young man. The Republican could care less about that. They saw him as a democratic star who has to be stopped by all means because they saw him as a big threat to their own interest.

 The Republicans nearly impeached Bill Clinton but they failed because Hillary stood by her man because she loved him. There wasn’t anything they did not say or write about Bill Clinton. The man still won a second term as President of the United States and he left office with the best economy and achievements of any good American President before and after him. The mere fact that he comes from Hope, a rural and a less affluent community in rural Arkansas has not deterred the future President. His activities as ex-President were even more spectacular when he launched his Clinton’s Global Initiative which completely changed the world of Philanthropy the way we have come to know it. The C.G.I is making huge difference all over the world and helping to solidify and improve the image and reputation of America as the greatest country on Earth. Bill Clinton like JFK who inspired him to want to be President is one American President who is popular and treasured all over the world till tomorrow because he has done so much good in and out of office. Some of the good things have robbed off on his wife and his daughter who have both coasted to big fame riding on the coattail of Bill Clinton. Hillary was not just made by her husband.  She too has been the pillar behind the throne of her husband in so many ways. If she has given any chance for the Republicans to get under the skin of her husband, both of them would have been rubbished a long time ago. Americans and the whole world give her credit for being a strong woman behind her husband.  If Hillary could do for America what she has managed to do for her marriage, she is going to beat all of the 22 candidates lined up against her by the Republicans and come out on top by 2016.

Republicans wanted to create a Clinton fatigue as a reason to shoot down her ambitions to be President but their position has become totally untenable by their support for Jeb Bush another product of the Bush dynasty in American politics. The last Bush was a disaster for America, so another Bush running for President so soon after his brother was more fatigue for America than the Hillary presidency. The Republicans are jealous and unhappy about Bill Clinton and his wife having the kind of profiles they enjoy today as the power couple of America. They know that Hillary has all it takes to be the first female President of the United States barring any unforeseeable development or make-believe scandals the Republicans are going to cook up as frustrations set in for them.

Since they have not been able to stop Bill Clinton, they are doing everything to obstruct Hillary from going back to the White House as the boss and not just as first lady. They were very happy when she narrowly missed the chance to beat Barack Obama in 2008. They became very unhappy when the same Barack Obama picked her to be Secretary of State for 4 glorious years. Hillary used that opportunity to further widen her experience in foreign affairs and in diplomatic circles around the world. It was an experience the lady needed on her resume to be considered a solid candidate for the President of the United States. She did a wonderful job at the State Department becoming one of the most successful Secretaries of State in America.

 She would have gone to office acquiring a lot more experience than her husband had before becoming President. She was a first class Lawyer. She had 12 years as first lady of Arkansas and partner with her husband for all of the 12 years. She was for 8 years the first lady of the United States and top adviser to her husband. She was Senator from the great Empire State of New York for 6 years. She was for 4 years the plenipotentiary Secretary of State of the United States. It does not get any better than that for any candidate who will be President of the United States. She will be President as a grandmother in the mold of Her Majesty, the Queen of England giving honor and prestige to that office like never before.

The Republicans were bent on making a mountain out of a molten hill by blaming Hillary for the tragedy that happened in Benghazi, Libya, but they could not find the smoking gun to tie Hillary to the Benghazi tragedy. All they could find is the so-called lack of transparency which means nothing if you really think about it.

On leadership qualities Hillary has continued to score high marks from all opinion polls and from most Americans and most especially from women and from young Americans of all generations. The only question mark Morning Joe program on MSNBC still continues to harp on is whether or not Hillary Clinton has been transparent enough in whatever action she took on Benghazi. They are raising exactly the same point they are raising now that she has not been sufficiently forthcoming on which of the E-mails she has released or deleted from her private E-mails account in her home at Westchester in New York.

They once raised the point that Hillary was wrong to have created a private e-mail account to begin with after leaving the State Department. They had to let that go on that when they found that Colin Powell, Condi Rice and other Secretaries of State had kept such private E-mails just like Hillary. When they realized that that dog would not hunt, they then raised the question of security for those E-mails. Again Hillary beat them to it when she proved that the mails were secure because they were protected by the security blanket offered to her President as a former President.

The Republicans were just hell-bent on crying wolf where there is none because they just want to nail Hillary Clinton and to find some ways to nullify her candidacy because they are scared to death that none of their 22 Republican candidates can measure up to Hillary in terms of experience and readiness to be President of the United States in 2016.

They just want to tarnish her and her husband by all means like they have done for 40 years without success. They have found no evidence to criminalize what Hillary has done with regard to Benghazi and the speculation that Hillary has operated a private E-mails account outside the one in the State Department without authorization. They are also trying to prove that the Clintons have received some donations from donors in a quid pro quo type of arrangement. They wanted to establish conflict of interest or tell the world that the Clintons have used all of those donations to enrich themselves.

 They even complained that the Clintons have taken money for some of the public speeches they have delivered as public figures and celebrities in their own right. They accuse them of using their position as public officials to benefit their Foundation as if they are the first public figures around the world or in America to do that.

It was much ado about nothing. The republicans would not be raising all these points if the Clintons last name were Joe Blow. If that is all they could find to blackmail the Clintons,they should go take a hike and let sleeping dogs lie. They should stop distracting Hillary and let her concentrate on her agenda for the downtrodden in the American society and where she intends to take America with her presidency.

The couple has done nothing wrong to stop them from pursuing their ambition to be anything they want to be in American politics. They have done pretty good in whatever position they have served. Hillary is eminently qualified to run for President and I can guarantee you she will be elected President in a land slide when the rubber meets the road in 2016

Now talking about transparency, I can tell you no American President past and present would pass that test the Republicans want to set for Hillary. It is in the nature of the presidency not to be completely transparent in what the President does or says if the truth must be told. Not being totally transparent in intelligence matters and usage for instance, is strength and not a weakness for a President like the Republicans are suggesting.

Name me one good American President who has been totally transparent in all of their transactions and activities as President and I would tell you there is none from George Washington to Barrack Obama if you follow their history as closely as I have done as a historian with a special interest in American history. It goes with the territory for anybody who will be President. Republicans are on a very slippery slope to want to go there in reference to Hillary.

They are not going to get Hillary on that because she has done what is required of her. She has not broken the spirit and the letter of the Law. She has done nothing wrong. Everyone makes a decision on what is private and what is not on the mails they receive. Why should Hillary be treated differently?  She has made that judgment and she as a trained attorney, as first lady of Arkansas for 12 years, as first lady of the United States for 8 years and as a Senator from New York for 6 years and as the Secretary of State of the United States for 4 years has earned the credibility to be trusted to make that kind of judgment without being maligned by the Republicans.

If that is all the Republicans have against her, they should take a hike and let sleeping dogs lie. Their investigations of Hillary can be described as pennywise and pound-foolish and therefore a complete waste of public funds in my judgment.

I rest my case.

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Politics