The Irish reaction to Clinton’s claims that she was “instrumental” has already been documented over at Five Before Chaos by JD Ryan, but an AP article that’s making the rounds of European papers (not so much here) today is worth another look.  I found it in the Guardian.

The story is that Clinton dedicated a park in Belfast that was to become the state’s “first Catholic-Protestant playground.”  (Which is absurd in itself; Catholic kids and Protestant kids haven’t been isolated from each other in NI.)  But in her role as peacemaker, she forgot to do anything more than dedicate the park; no playground was ever built.

“She was in charge of christening this wee corner (of the park) as some kind of peace playground. It never made any sense then, and there’s nothing there today,” said Brian Feeney, a Belfast political analyst, author and teacher. “Everything she did was for the optics.”

Although Irish Taosaich Bertie Ahern, David Hume, George Mitchell have all, rather weakly, backed her claims, they offer no specifics regarding anything she actually did, nor any policy talks in which she was influential or even any that she attended.  And her recently released schedule as First Lady doesn’t back up the claims either.  According to The Daily Telegraph (London):

(The) details of her visits to Northern Ireland indicated that she went little beyond the traditional role of a president’s wife, attending social events, meeting women’s groups and greeting children.

Despite Mrs Clinton’s claim last week that she was “instrumental” in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, the schedules do not record her attending a single policy meeting.

Here’s the thing: a Clinton presidency is seen as favorable by Hume and Ahern.  They’ve already secured promises from her on a higher level of diplomacy in NI, and on Irish immigration – a bone to Hume and a bone to Ahern.  

Meanwhile, criticism among the Irish people grows (particularly in the North), and the people who had their feet on the ground, those who did the real work, seem to be a bit perturbed with her insistence on making her role in Northern Ireland a centerpiece of her foreign policy experience.   From the Guardian article:

“It’s crazy for Hillary to say she played a role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland. … She seems to be confusing her record with her husband’s,” said Robin Wilson, founder of a Northern Ireland think tank, Democratic Dialogue.

All of this brings into question Clinton’s judgement, and her grasp of reality, her understanding of world affairs, and her opinion of our intelligence.  Does she really believe she played an “instrumental” role in NI peace?  Does she think dedicating a playground is peacemaking?  If the answers are no, does she really think we’re going to buy it?  

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl…

http://www.independent.ie/worl…

I just returned from a weekend in Scranton, PA, visiting friends.  Scranton, by the way, is in the midst of a fantastic revitalization.  The town’s incredible old-world architectural gems are being, or have been, restored.  The blight of post-industrial decline is being erased.  A town well-worth visiting if you happen to be in the area or passing through.

The first thing I noticed in Scranton, however, is Hillary signs.  Everywhere.  Scranton is Hillary Clinton’s father’s hometown, and she has been playing up her ties to northeaster PA.  As we drove around sightseeing with our friends, my wife called out “hey, there’s an Obama sign!”  Our host said “well, that’s two,” referring to the only other Obama sign in town on his front lawn.

Apparently there wasn’t so much political hype until Scranton’s St. Paddy’s Day parade (fourth largest in the USA), in which Clinton was prominently featured, alongside the popular mayor of Scranton, Christopher Doherty.  It wasn’t long after that the Hillary signs began to sprout like spring daffodils on lawns everywhere.  And I mean everywhere.

(Obama, for his part, was invited to speak at the Society of Irish Women in Scranton on St. Paddy’s Day, a gig that Clinton turned down.)  

We stopped in at the Scranton Obama HQ for a couple campaign buttons – they were out, which may or may not be a good sign.  While we were there we noticed several of the campaign staff wearing “NY loves Obama” pins, a major no-no in an area where people are wary of outsiders (particularly from NY).  They seemed disorganized and out of sorts, but excited and upbeat.

Scranton may be in Clinton’s corner, but there are also signs that the race is tightening up in the rest of PA.  A recent poll puts Clinton’s lead at 10 points.  Record numbers of people are turning out to register to vote – young people, new voters, African Americans.  Many people are said to be switching parties, and it’s a safe bet they aren’t switching from Dem to Rep.  

According to my hosts, Obama can narrow Clinton’s lead, and perhaps even win if he concentrates on the population centers of Philadelphia and Pittsburg – a strategy that has worked in statewide politics there.

-M