Another sure sign that Hillary is running for president in 2008 is her belated virutal admission that she has been lying about the mis—spelling of her name. The New York Times, of course, serves as her megaphone.

... yesterday, Mrs. Clinton's campaign said she was not named for Sir Edmund after all.

'It was a sweet family story her mother shared to inspire greatness in her daughter, to great results I might add,' said Jennifer Hanley, a spokeswoman for the campaign.

Blame Mom. Nice.

Truth—telling, once tried, is used even further. In this small article, at least.

Even though Bill Clinton repeated the story in his 2004 autobiography, 'My Life,' Hillary Clinton did not mention it in her own autobiography, 'Living History,' which was published in 2003.

But one big hole has been poked in the story over the years, both in cyberspace and elsewhere: Sir Edmund became famous only after climbing Everest in 1953. Mrs. Clinton, as it happens, was born in 1947.

Obviously, this step is being taken to defuse the lie as a source of ridicule during the campaign. Smart.

Thomas Lifson   10 17 06