Lady X

U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton visited St. Petersburg. She held a meeting with her Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov and lectured on “women and the economy.” Hillary herself could be the first woman president in the U.S. history, but she will forever stay an exemplary first lady, no matter what other heights she will reach.

A small, Chicagoan textile manufacturer’s daughter, Hillary knew from a young age that her future was politics. And so it happened. Surprisingly enough, it was in politics that Hillary Rodham found herself as a woman. And as a woman she made a politician out of her husband. Everyone recognizes it, including Bill Clinton, who is not offended when he is called “Mr. Billary.” In every interview, he says he never could have become the 42nd U.S. President if not for his wife’s support.

He met his bride in the library of Yale University, where she studied law. Hillary, an excellent student, could sit over books for hours. During her studies at Wellesley College (a private, women’s liberal arts college) she was president of the Wellesley College Government Association, organized a manifestation against the Vietnam War and was even featured in Life magazine for her harsh critique of President Nixon. In general, the girl was serious, but this did not frighten Bill at all. “That was exactly what I liked of him most!” Hillary remembered later. They both were ambitious and full of ideas.

They married in 1975, and Clinton took the young career woman with him to sleepy Arkansas, where three years later he became the youngest governor. Hillary herself, by this time having received her Juris Doctor degree, was making fast a career as a lawyer. She specialized in property and family law. “Social sphere,” which includes child protection and fight against discrimination, was her favorite. During those years Clinton was involved with numerous human rights and charity funds. She even released a book on legal rights for the women of Arkansas. She also developed an urban school reform and headed the commission on rural health.

At the same time, Hillary was not a kind of single career woman. She never separated her own achievements from her husband’s; it was all “family values” for her. “You just have to do it,” she said to Bill one day. That is how their battle for the White House started. Having become the first lady in 1992, Hillary – despite conventional practice – occupied the west wing of the President’s residence, to be closer to the Oval office.

Perhaps the most ambitious plan of the Clinton couple was the health care reform and introduction of universal health care to all Americans. Bill appointed his wife to chair the operational committee, which included over 500 government officials, members of Congress and experts. Day after day she had heavy negotiations with senators and members of the House of Representatives. However, work was interrupted by the tragic circumstances: Hillary’s father had a heart attack and died shortly afterward. Of course, the major blow on the reform was Republican resistance, as well as powerful lobby of medical corporations. Regardless, those seven months of great work were unprecedented.

However, the main test for Hillary was the notorious “Monicagate.” In that situation she showed herself as a true wife of the American president, and that said it all. It seemed as if she didn’t notice sympathetic glances from all sides. Her branded smile, which many call a fake one, never left her face. Only Clinton herself knows how much self-control was required. But she did everything to publicly protect her family and those values, which she had fought for.

Hillary was elected senator twice by the state of New York and in 2008 she decided to compete for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. However, later she withdrew herself from it in Barack Obama’s favor. Now it’s been four years since she became the face of American diplomacy and started delivering her ardent speeches from tribunes and unmasking bloody dictators. It is not ruled out that in case of Obama’s re-election, she may aspire to the higher position of vice president. However, the greatest achievement of her life is that for many women she has become the embodiment of American dream, which didn’t turn out that sweet after all.