Letters

Hillary's Story

"Whatever Clinton may have gained through tasteful public confession she has lost by forfeiting the quiet dignity of a former First Lady."
GENE SAVAGE
Sacramento, Calif.

The self-pity and narcissism in Hillary Clinton's Living History are breathtaking [BOOK EXCERPT, June 16]. Apparently she learned nothing from her White House experience. Clinton seems to regret that there wasn't a depression or national disaster to help her ram the socialized health-care scheme through Congress. For the Clintons, citizens are just pawns in their game for political and personal power. It is clear that Hillary does not have the best temperament for the political arena.
GREGG MCCONNELL
Newbury Park, Calif.

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Those who vilify Hillary overlook the fact that she was the first of the baby-boom generation to become First Lady. Like thousands of American women, she went to college in the mid-1960s not to find a husband but to find herself. And unlike Barbara Bush or Jacqueline Kennedy, she was unwilling to bask in the reflected glory of her husband. Rather, she constantly tested the limits of her intelligence and abilities to make a meaningful contribution to her country.
DAVID M. PETROU
Washington

Senator Clinton still doesn't seem to understand why some of us supported the impeachment of her husband. For me it came down to two issues: Bill Clinton lied to a federal judge and lied to the citizens who had elected him. The questions in the Paula Jones deposition may have been "designed solely to trap the President into charges of perjury," but I can't accept the idea of the head of the Executive Branch lying or in any way dissembling before the Judiciary. The far greater injury, however, came when Bill Clinton lied to me.
ALASTAIR DALLAS
Los Gatos, Calif.

We know that this is a woman who often got angry at her husband and his glaring weaknesses, perhaps even to the point of hurling objects at him. Hillary Clinton is a woman of political insight and ambition, with a sense of ideological clarity and purpose not often seen in American society. Yet her book barely scratches the surface of her feelings. There is a hint of dissembling in its triteness, a challenge to credibility in its sketchy description of events and an unspoken distrust of the public. Perhaps Senator Clinton did not intend for us to learn much about her life, or there may be things she is reluctant to admit to the public or herself.
DANIEL J. HANNEMAN
Maplewood, Minn.

I cannot fathom the hatred for Hillary that burns in some conservatives. I am neither an admirer nor a detractor, but I'd vote her into the White House just to hear the screaming apoplexy that would erupt from radio and TV "hate-triots" who think they own America's heart.
STEPHEN SCHLICH
Petaluma, Calif.

--Many readers felt that the most compelling part of Hillary Clinton's story concerned her handling of her marriage crisis. "It's as if Senator Clinton were two people: herself and Bill Clinton's wife," wrote a North Carolina woman. "The professional Hillary is a good role model for our daughters, but Bill's wife sets a horrible example by staying in an unhealthy relationship." Another North Carolinian, however, supported Clinton for her steadfastness: "One of our society's problems is how quickly couples bail out when they run into problems rather than working through them. The Clintons provided a positive example for all couples in painful marital situations."

She Weathered the Storm

I was particularly annoyed by Joe Klein's commentary on Hillary Clinton [IN THE ARENA, June 16]. Reading her memoir as some sort of objective historical document is absurd. And if she won the presidency, it wouldn't be "attributable to her husband's genius," as Klein wrote. I understand it is easier to focus on Hillary's ever changing hairstyle than to accept her as an intellectual and motivating force in her own right. But Klein could at least have acknowledged that she has had the courage to move forward in public life after a harrowing media storm that would have pushed most people into hiding for the rest of their life.
SARA B. PRUSS
Marina del Rey, Calif.

Push for Middle East Peace

Your story on President Bush's new personal involvement in the Middle East peace process [WORLD, June 16] said aides described his 2 1/2-year disengagement from the issue as a "strategy designed to force changes in the Palestinian Authority." I wonder what the families of the many Israelis and Palestinians who were killed or maimed during this time think about Bush's tactic. It must come as a shock to learn that the sacrifice of their loved ones was a strategy deemed a better investment than using the President's precious political capital to end the mayhem.
RICHARD WELLS
West Bloomfield, Mich.

After ignoring the bloodshed for years, Bush is putting pressure on the Palestinians to push aside Yasser Arafat as an obstacle to peace. No such pressure has been put on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who is a contributor to the current wave of violence and has taken virtually no steps toward peace. We wait for courageous leaders to step forward, ones who will implement an end to the occupation and settlements and find viable solutions for the security of Israel, the exiled Palestinians and the future of Jerusalem.
JOHN MARTIN
Seattle