Is Hillary Demoting Her Own Role As First Lady?

Hillary Clinton seems to have just shot herself in the foot. Her campaign has so far relied on a delicate balancing act. She must assure Americans that she is not Bill, while not turning away voters who just want to see Bill back in the White House. In addition, she must convince doubters that she is more experienced than just spending a few years as a senator. She has done this by talking about her time as First Lady as though it was a full on staff position in the executive branch. This balancing act is getting tougher and tougher for her to maintain. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos which aired last night, Hillary said some things that contradict her official line that she played a large part in his husband’s administration…

If she makes it to the White House, Sen. Hillary Clinton said today her husband will take on the same responsibilities as traditional presidential spouses, with no access to National Security Council meetings.

“I think he would play the role that spouses have always played for presidents,” said Clinton, in an exclusive interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. “He will not have a formal, official role, but just as presidents rely on wives, husbands, fathers, friends of long years, he will be my close confidante and adviser as I was with him.”

The candidate said having President Clinton participate in National Security Council meetings “wouldn’t be appropriate,” and in a crisis situation – like the one faced by President Bush this week after the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto – President Clinton would not sit in on discussions with his wife’s national security team.

But Sen. Clinton did say she expects the former president to play a role as an informal adviser to the White House staff.

If Hillary is elected, it makes perfect sense that Bill won’t sit in on meetings that he doesn’t have the security clearance for, but she should have shut up before saying that Bill will only act as her “informal adviser.”

So where does this put Hillary? She seems to have repositioned herself from somebody who “led efforts…” in the White House (according to her website), to only an “informal adviser.” Unless of course, she was some sort of exception to her own rule, and she actually had unprecedented power as First Lady.

Any attempt that she makes to minimize Bill’s potential role in her administration is going to make it look like she had a small role in Bill’s administration. This will be a problem since being First Lady is Hillary’s only potential claim to having executive experience.

For a supposedly calculating woman, she really should have planned this a little more carefully.