Gleanings from Hillary''s "Living History"

A pastime one has always valued as freshly entertaining and mentally enriching is reading the biographies and auto-bios of interesting people. Since time immemorial, the ever-growing world history is nothing but a reading of the lives of great men and women.

Do a flashback on a given country''s history and the imagery flashes the faces of its eminent figures. Take America, subliminally the episodes of the Plymouth pilgrim pioneers, of George Washington, of Abraham Lincoln, of Wilson, the two Roosevelts, John Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and down the line, outline the rich tapestry of the star-spangled banner.

Going over Hillary Rodham Clinton''s auto-bio "Living History", isn''t just a peephole peek into the First Lady''s reservoir of "living history", but more, as rich lessons in US history covering Bill Clinton''s eight-year tenure. Never in America has there been a husband and wife tandem in the White House - both brilliant lawyers - teaming so effectively and efficiently. The common joke then, with Bill and Hillary Clinton, it was a "buy one, take one" rarity.

With the Hillary-Bill tandem waltzing through, though often skating on thin ice, and spiced by the sleazy Monica Lewinsky caper and the impeachment scare, nonetheless, it was a brilliant chapter in US annals, despite the snags strewn by their Republican opponents led by Clinton nemeses Newt Gingrich and independent counsel Kenneth Starr... Past political foe George Bush Sr., paid a left-handed compliment on Clinton saying, "He made the role of president so natural and I hated him for it". And, definitely, Hillary Clinton made it so...

Just a few gleanings from "Living History" are worth sharing, that is, episodes prior to her present stint as US Senator representing New York state...

Not many have been unto Hillary''s being a workaholic because her world exposure was more on her role as a First Lady, mistakenly perceived to be all social functions. Championing women''s rights, children''s education and welfare, and health care, were just few of her thrusts. She cites Rev. John Wesley''s invocation: "Live everyday doing as much as you can in every way that you can". And she stresses "the push of duty and the pull of grace" philosophy.

In her speaking engagement in India on her favorite subject, women''s rights, she inspired the women minority advocates. She used the poem "Silence" written by high school student Anasuya Sengupta, a young girl, as a take-off point to assail the male chauvinists of India. It reads: "Too many women/In too many countries/Speak the same language/Of silence..."

Another gem is Hillary''s "discipline of gratitude" based on "The Return of the Prodigal Son" written by Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest. In Hillary''s opinion, it is like an epiphany, or revelation of sorts, and should never be taken for granted as a badge of culture. It''s very revealing that only a few consistently observe such "discipline of gratitude".

Lastly, Hillary made no bones of her frustration over the questionable US Supreme Court 5-4 decision stopping a recount of votes in Florida; thus, eking out the victory of Pres. George W. Bush in his first term. He won in the electoral vote over Democratic candidate Al Gore, despite the latter''s winning margin of over 500,000 in the popular vote. Hence, Hillary bitterly assailed US Chief Justice William Rhenquist who broke the 4-4 tie vote, to favor Bush, viz: "Seldom if ever in our history has the people''s right to choose their elected officials been thwarted by such a blatant abuse of judicial power".

Come November, 2008 American presidential election and, gauged against the Democrats'' taking over both chambers of US Congress in the last mid-term elections, front-running Senator Hillary may turn out as a probable first woman American president ever. Despite the media hype for Senator Barack Obama, or the fighting John Edwards, political pundits favor Hillary to come out as the Democrats'' standard bearer, just as she is now hopping the hustings for another chapter of "living history".