In 1996, then First Lady Hillary Clinton journeyed to Bosnia to visit troops stationed in the wartorn province of the former Yugoslavia. Clinton was accompanied on her trip with her daughter, Chelsea, singer Sheryl Crow, and comedian Sinbad. Twelve years later, in the midst of the 2008 Democratic Presidential contests, in a speech given at George Washington University, Clinton claimed that her 1996 Bosnia trip was fraught with danger, and that she remembered "landing under sniper fire." In addition, Clinton claimed that a ceremony on the tarmac had to be cut short due to the danger, and that she and her entourage had to run with their "heads down" to reach their vehicles. Soon after Clinton's speech, comedian Sinbad disputed the former First Lady's recollection of the goodwill journey, and said it was much less dangerous than she was making it out to be. A week later, the Clinton campaign claimed that the candidate had "misspoke" and that there were "reports" of snipers in the hills.
Clinton Bosnia Trip Blogs and Commentaries
- CBS News: Not The Safest Trip, But No Sniper Fire (March 24, 2008)
- Sharyl Atkinson, the CBS News Correspondent who accompanied Clinton on the 1996 Bosnia trip, writes about the journey in a CBS News Blog: "...[T]he mood upon first landing at the Tuzla airport was light. Children were there on the tarmac to greet the first lady, Chelsea was by her side, Bosnian dignitaries had gathered: It felt safe."
- Salon.com: "It is possible ... that she misspoke" - War Room (March 24, 2008)
- Washington Post Blog: Obama Camp Again Assails Clinton on Bosnia Trip (March 24, 2008)
- Washington Post Blog: Sinbad Unloads on Hillary Clinton
- Official Hillary Clinton Campaign Site: Hillary's Remarks at the George Washington University (March 17, 2008)
- Google Blog Search: Clinton Bosnia Trip
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References
Fast Facts
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Time of trip
March 1996
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Fact:
In her memoir, Hillary Clinton spoke of "sniper fire in the hills" during the landing in Bosnia
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Fact:
In a 1996 Washington Post story, Clinton's trip was referred to as "the first time since Roosevelt that a first lady has voyaged to a potential combat zone."
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Fact:
Clinton claimed that she was sent to Bosnia because it was "too dangerous" for the President
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Fact:
Bill Clinton visited Tuzla air base two months prior to his wife's trip
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Fact:
President Clinton did not venture as far into Bosnia as his wife later did
