Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Sometimes, you just have to admit how wrong you were. Here is my confession: I was wrong about Hillary Rodham Clinton. As a Republican, I had typical Republican views of her. Even when I became a Democrat (and a feminist), I didn't like her. Part of it was that I was caught up in the Obama craze of the 2008 campaign. I insisted that I didn't want the first woman president to be someone riding their husband's coat tails. When she did an amazing job as Secretary of State, my view of her started to change. After reading her memoirs, I can't believe that I continued to think of her in that way for as long as I did past my Republican days.

She was accomplished in her own regards before she even met Bill Clinton. She kept her name after marrying him until giving into pressure to add Clinton for HIS political future. (Myth I used to believe: She only added Clinton when she wanted the name recognition for her political career.)

One part I loved and completely relate to right now was this part: "I joked about the Irish television personality who had recently welcomed a group of women lawmakers to his show by asking "Who's minding the children?" I smiled and said "I long for the day when men are asked the same question."

It drives me nuts that Adam is hardly ever asked this, even though we both work. And as much as I love the man, he annoyed me recently when he wouldn't tell his boss the reason he needed a specific night off each week was that he needed to be home with Brayden because I was going to have to work that night each week. All he would say to his boss was that he needed Thursday nights off. His boss ket scheduling him anyways, which I think might not have happened had he explained his reasons for needing it off. (Anyways, back to the book review-)

I also related to her take on abortion. I had read a quote by her last year that I agree with- "abortion should be safe, legal, and rare." It was interesting to read a longer explanation of her views. "When I defend my pro-choice position in the debate over abortion in our country, I frequently refer to Romania, where pregnancy could be monitored on behalf of the state, and to China, where it could be forcibly terminated. One reason I continue to oppose efforts to criminalize abortion is that I do not believe any government should have the power to dictate, through law or police action, a woman's most personal decisions."

She went into more detail of the Lewinsky scandal than I thought she would. Reading that part was hard. It made me wonder something, though. One argument against her is that she only stayed married to him for her own political career. I don't know if I believe that anymore. I think that she got flak from both sides of that issue. At the end of the day, it was her decision to make and she made it. I almost think people (not me, but some people) would have respected her more had she left him.

I wanted her to write more about her first few years in the Senate. Hopefully she'll eventually write another memoir that focuses on her time in the Senate, her time as Secretary of State, and maybe even her time as President. I know I'll vote for her if she runs in 2016.