Some saw Hillary's hand in President Clinton's decision three weeks ago to override the unanimous objections of federal law enforcement agencies in commuting the longstanding conspiracy sentences of the 16 members of the group, the Armed Forces of National Liberation, known by its Spanish acronym, FALN. But it's not clear what if any political advantage there is to be gained by pushing for clemency. The 1.3 million Puerto Ricans in New York State remain deeply divided on the issue of independence for the island, not to mention the means to achieve it. At the same time, the whole thing reinforces the message to New Yorkers that Hillary may never be quite so useful to them as she is right now. After all, as a junior senator, Hillary would be just another voice on the Hill. But right now she has that most unusual and felicitous of political combinations: the ear of the president and the desire to make some new friends ASAP. Now if only the First Family could synchronize their press releases.
Make Up Your Mind, Hillary
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Perhaps stepping quickly to get out of a political gesture that backfired, Hillary Clinton has come out against her husband's controversial offer of early release for 16 imprisoned Puerto Rican nationalists, an initiative she had previously supported. Hillary's explanation — that the 16 have not yet complied with a condition that they renounce violence — came even as the White House was giving them until September 10 to make up their minds. Republicans immediately charged that Mrs. Clinton was hanging the President out to dry while trying to wiggle out of a political gaffe. Nothing of the sort, her campaign responded: Hillary had simply reevaluated the situation. Either way, she is catching it from both Democrats and Republicans, who charge that the presumptive Senate candidate is using her family connections to try to make friends and influence voters.