If you listened to some of the headlines, Hillary Clinton broke down crying. The moment is being compared to 1972 when Ed Muskie had tears (or was it snow flakes) visible on his face in New Hampshire, ending his campaign. Check out the video to see for yourself, but I don’t see anything wrong here. If anything, this could be seen as favorable to Clinton a it gives the appearance of her really caring about what she is doing. I’ll post the transcript under the fold, but it is best to watch the video.
Just as this video might be revealing about Hillary Clinton, the responses of her opponents might be revealing about their characters. John Edwards confirmed by view of him as someone who will say anything to attempt to win:
I think what we need in a commander-in-chief is strength and resolve, and presidential campaigns are tough business, but being president of the United States is also tough business.
In contrast, Barack Obama showed more class:
During a campaign stop at Jake’s Coffee in New London, New Hampshire, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was also asked to comment about Clinton’s teary moment.
“I didn’t see what happened,” he said, but added, “I know this process is a grind. So that’s not something I care to comment on.”
Update: Here’s the actual video, converted to YouTube thanks to Talking Points Memo:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qgWH89qWks]
Clinton had the following comment later in the day. She placed it in perspective, describing the situation as a somewhat intimate moment, despite all the cameras focused on her. The implication that John Edwards, who sometimes just does not know when not to fight, is that Hillary would break down and cry in a crisis. The fact of the matter is that this was not a crisis situation, and it is perfectly reasonable to assume that Clinton would react entirely differently in a crisis as opposed to how she reacted to this question under this circumstance.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsqhtzPX0yA]