[Chefelf]

Clinton claims over wife's name raises eyebrows in New Zealand

AUCKLAND (AFP) - Bill Clinton's autobiography "My Life" has been raising eyebrows in New Zealand amid rumblings the former US president has been less than truthful about the mountainous origins of his wife's name.

Clinton's claim that Hillary was named in honour of Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealander who conquered Mount Everest, has created more interest here than the former president's relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

On several visits to New Zealand during his time in office, the president referred to Sir Edmund as "the second favourite Hillary in our household", while Hillary herself has attributed her moniker to the mountaineer.

There is even an after dinner joke here that goes: "What do Bill Clinton and New Zealand have in common? They both owe their reputations to Hillary."

But the story has a fundamental problem: Edmund Hillary reached Everest's peak on May 29, 1953, nearly seven years after the infant Hillary arrived in the world.

Edmund Hillary's autobiography, "Nothing Venture, Nothing Win", noted that at the time of Hillary's birth, he was earning a modest income from bee-keeping.

Edmund Hillary could not be contacted Wednesday but he has met Hillary Clinton several times and with fund-raising for his Himalayan Trust clearly in mind, he has been discreet about his role in naming the former first lady.

http://au.news.yahoo...23/19/plqx.html

You have to respect someone that would lie about something so stupid.

Thanks to barend for this one!

[Heccubus]

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times:
"Slick Willie indeed."

[J m HofMarN]

I hate to break it to you but Hillary and Bill were like babies when this happened. I mean, how many of us really remember where we got our name. If it's anyone's fault it's that conniving Edmund Hillary for not telling them. I'm on to you, you mountain climbing bastard!

And in other news I snipped this from a report on the handover of "sovereignty" in Iraq:

"Bush, whose Iraq policy has drawn criticism abroad and, more recently, at home, was passed a note from National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice that put it this way: “Mr. President, Iraq is sovereign.”

Bush wrote “Let freedom reign!” on the note and passed it back, according to White House spokesman Scott McClellan."

Rice then returned the note after writing "Freedom Rules! LOL!" On it. Nato Leaders then confiscated it and read it to the whole class. Presiden't Bush was told to write "I will not pass notes during the NATO general assembly" fifty times, but after mispelling assembly ten times he was dismissed with a stern warning.

[barend]

Clinton's a pretty bad husband.

he cheated on his wife, he didn't know where her name was from, all he has to do now is forget her birthday...

but seriously, thats a pretty embarrasing mistake.

it reminds me of an episode of 'just shoot me' where Jack Gallows wrote an auto biography, in which he claimed to have knocked out Robert Conrad in a fight... purley because he thought that he was dead and wouldn't contest it.

[Despondent]

A lib friend was showing me highlights of the book on the 'net. About Bill's parents meeting Hillary, something like "her hair was so short she looked like a punk rocker"

not to get all "is" about it, but punk rock didn't arrive until at least 3 years later. And he missed his chance to give her credit for establishing the movement.

[Despondent]

but seriously, thats a pretty embarrasing mistake.

I disagree. What line would have to be crossed for this man to be embarrassed?

[Heccubus]

A lib friend was showing me highlights of the book on the 'net. About Bill's parents meeting Hillary, something like "her hair was so short she looked like a punk rocker"

not to get all "is" about it, but punk rock didn't arrive until at least 3 years later. And he missed his chance to give her credit for establishing the movement.

Yeah, but punk rock has been around for almost 30 years now, so he can look back and compare it to that without it being quite as stupid of a mistake.

[Despondent]

True. And if nobody checks the facts he's 100% correct.