First Lady drafted Clinton8217;s speech

WASHINGTON, Aug 18: In her moment of public humiliation, First Lady Hillary Clinton oversaw President Clinton's legal and political strat...

WASHINGTON, Aug 18: In her moment of public humiliation, First Lady Hillary Clinton oversaw President Clinton8217;s legal and political strategy and even helped craft his address to the nation, prominent US media outlets reported today.

Throughout the oppressive, tension-ridden day in Washington, the air was pregnant with rain and speculation about how the First Lady was handling the explosive developments leading to the President8217;s public confession of adultery. And although she was not seen publicly throughout the day, several commentators said she was very much in the thick of the battle.

However, one close associate of the President was reported by the New York Times as revealing that Mrs Clinton helped write her husband8217;s short speech and played an instrumental role in strategy meetings throughout the weekend.8220;She has been the strength as usual. The incredible fact is that she helped write the speech. How8217;d you like to have a wife like that?8221; The unnamed associate was quoted as saying.

Mrs Clinton isherself an acclaimed attorney and in the eyes of her admirers, probably the savviest lawyer in town. She has often been credited with masterminding Bill Clinton8217;s political career and being smarter than her husband to the extent that the joke goes that people in Arkansas often said they have elected the wrong Clinton.

But in these dramatic moments of a tawdry and intensely public sex scandal, people have often worried about how Mrs Clinton is facing up to it all and what exactly is happening within the confines of the White House. Clinton8217;s spin doctors initially put it out last week that the First Lady was not fully aware of the depth of Clinton8217;s relationship with Monica Lewinsky and the President faced the painful task over the weekend of breaking the news to his wife and daughter, who incidentally is also in Washington on a break from her school in Stanford.

But other observers scoff at this scenario, saying the First Lady has always been aware of the President8217;s alleged peccadilloes and has longsince learnt to ignore if not accept it. quot;That strikes me as ridiculous that she would not know,8221; one of her friends was quoted as saying in the local media.

Some others have said the Clintons have a 8220;don8217;t ask, don8217;t tell8221; policy. On the eve of the President8217;s testimony yesterday, the Clinton8217;s went to the church together as they usually do. There seems to be a unanimous view that Mrs Clinton has jumped into the political fight with gusto.

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The First Lady8217;s popularity rating has also shot up considerably, touching 70 per cent in some polls.

The Clintons are off to Martha8217;s Vineyard for a 10-day vacation starting today. In early September, the President will accompany Mrs Clinton on a visit to Ireland where she will participate in a conference on women in emerging democracies.

Soon after, they will go to Russia and then, provided the flap in the Indian sub-continent over the nuclear tests is resolved, they may even visit India. Mrs Clinton has twice visited India and is seen as a moving forcebehind trying to get her husband to visit the region.