Clinton Runs from a Moment of Greatness

By Peggy Shapiro

My first reaction was to laugh when I heard that Hillary Clinton had canceled an appearance at a rally to protest Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just because Sarah Palin was also showing up. It reminded me of a homecoming dance in high school when two sophomores entered the gym wearing the same sleek blue dress. Pamela, tall and stunning, made the off-the-rack gown look glamorous. Rebecca, who would have been better served by a garment with more fabric and less skin, took one look at Pamela and fled the room. But we were silly girls then, and it was just a dance. Could the woman, who a few short months ago was fiercely battling to take the most powerful position in the world, succumb to such juvenile vanity? What could her reason be?

Clinton's spokesman Philippe Reines explained that . "Her [Palin's] attendance was news to us, and this was never billed to us as a partisan political event. Sen. Clinton will, therefore, not be attending." The protest against the national leader who seeks the annihilation of his neighbors, threatens to unleash a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, and is in hot pursuit of the means to implement his murderous visions, certainly should not be a partisan event. The rally, sponsored by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is an opportunity for all Americans, Republican and Democrat, black and white, Christian and Jew to speak up for peace and sanity. In the past and this year, both Democratic and Republican politicians participated. Hillary must certainly acknowledge that inviting only Democratic candidates would turn the protest for humanity into a political rally.

Others Clinton and Obama advocates claim that there is just too much personal animus against Palin and all the right-wing agenda she represents. Hillary would not want to elevate Palin's standing by appearing together on the same platform. Ms. Clinton must have refined her sensibilities about her associations, for in the past she welcomed and embraced the Palestinian terrorist leader Yassir Arafat and his scheming wife in her home, again and again and again. Could Sarah Palin be more unsavoury the the man whose hands were stained with the blood of thousands and whose coffers held the wealth that starved his nation?

No Clinton apologist claims that the event itself does not demand the partipation of all national leaders. All but the most deluded recognize that Ahmedinijad poses no less threat to the world than Hitler did in 1938. Hitler failed because he did not obtain the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. Ahmedinijad seeks to acquire the weapon for his final solution first, and then unleash his war against Israel and the west. How will history judge Clinton, who refused to stand up against the ultimate danger to the world, because Palin was nominated for the vice presidency while Clinton was passed over?

If there was ever a moment for a great and courageous woman to rise above political partisanship and petty personal jealousy, it is the New York rally against evil. This is not high school and running away is not humorous; it is pitiful. Had Clinton shown a united front and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Palin, even if they both appeared in the same suit, it would have been a victorious moment for women and shown one of the world's most evil men that regardless of the election results in November, he faces a formidable enemy.