By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer 

Posted March 25, 2008 – Sen. Hillary Clinton  (D-N.Y.) in efforts to boost her international experience “misspoke” about her March 1996 trip to Bosnia. The former First Lady recalled landing there under “sniper fire.”  But one passenger on the plane: comedian Sinbad, also along on the humanitarian trip, disagreed.

“I never felt that I was in a dangerous position,” Sinbad told the Washington Post last week. “I never felt being in a sense of peril, or ‘Oh, God, I hope I’m going to be okay when I get out of this helicopter or when I get out of this tank,” he said.

But just last week, when asked about the same trip, Clinton said, “I certainly do remember that trip to Bosnia,” she said, in remarks that aides described Monday as not being part of her prepared speech. “I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.”

Well, it looks like after more in-depth “fact checking.”  Sinbad was right.

Clinton admitted while campaigning in Pennsylvania Monday she “misspoke” about the circumstances surrounding their arrival.  She didn’t offer up an explanation, but admitted making the mistake.  

She didn’t recant her earlier statements until several news organizations confirmed Sinbad’s version of the event.  The Washington Post published a “fact check” on the trip with their reporter who was also there, and CBS News ran the footage of Clinton and her daughter Chelsea walking calmly on the tarmac.  The landing and arrival was uneventful and no one on the trip ever heard or reported gunfire.

Clinton had recalled the trip as “harrowing.”  While Sinbad said it involved no greater decision-making skills than “Do we eat here or at the next place?” according to an interview with the Washington Post.

On Monday, Clinton told the Philadelphia Daily News editorial board she was told “that we had to land a certain way and move quickly because of the threat of sniper fire,” not that actual shots were being fired.

“So I misspoke,” she told the paper.

This now opens the door to challenge her claims of “experience” that she has built her campaign around.  Clinton has maintained she would be “ready on day one” and would be a better commander and chief because of her White House years and her role as First Lady. 

Sinbad, an Obama supporter, may have the last laugh, because I’m sure no one in the Clinton camp is laughing.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

Posted March 25, 2008 – Every relationship has its highs and low’s, and the relationship between Bill Clinton and Black folks has hit a new low.   

A new survey by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal shows that the former president’s love fest with Black folks has hit a rough patch. That’s no surprise.  Developments on the campaign trail over the last 10 months have contributed to the decline, and neither political camp should be surprised.  

It seems the early signs of a deteriorating romance began during the primary season when President Clinton, while campaigning for his wife, blew his capital.  It all started to unravel with Black folks when the former president became the surrogate attack machine targeting her closest rival, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

The polls revealed that more than 45 percent of the respondents view Clinton negatively and 42 percent positively.  In comparison, in 2007, the 42nd president received a positive rating of 48 percent, compared with a negative rating of 35 percent.  This is a significant drop for the man once called the “first Black president.”

So what happened?

It’s a combination of things. First, Clinton overestimated his so-called Blackness and his political clout with African Americans.  He was confident his influence with the community would give him license to go after Obama and not sacrifice Black support. 

The next big gaff came days before the South Carolina primary, where Clinton likened Obama’s candidacy to a “fairy tale,” and followed up with a comment on Obama’s victory that implied Illinois senator won because he is Black.  Because South Carolina’s electorate is more then 50-percent African American, the former president credited Obama’s win to similar results in 1984 when the Rev. Jesse Jackson won the state.  

Clinton even went so far to offer up a “dream ticket,” leading into the Mississippi primary, suggesting Obama could fill the No. 2 spot on the ticket with his wife. And the put-downs continue from the former commander and chief. Just this week, he made comments Obama’s camp contend challenge the senator’s patriotism.

In August 2007 Obama was in the early stages of introducing himself to voters, and was struggling to win the African-American vote.  A poll by USA Today/Gallup taken then found Clinton’s lead over the Illinois senator had gained 8 percentage points in recent weeks.  Clinton was leading Obama with African-American voters by a 22-percent margin.

With the contest for the nomination still in play, one thing is for sure: The Black vote will not be taken for granted this time around.