Bosnia Girl Calls Out Clinton on Tuzla Lie

Selim Algar of the The New York Post has the story that the little girl who recited a poem on the tarmac at the air base in Tuzla is 'stunned and outraged' that the former First Lady of the United States would make up such a blatant lie.

Emina Bicakcic, now 20 and studying to become a doctor, told The Post she stood on the tarmac at the air base in Tuzla, greeted Clinton and even had time to share the lines of verse she'd written - all without fear of attack from an unseen enemy.

"I was surprised when I heard this," Bicakcic said, referring to Clinton's assertion that she braved snipers upon landing, ducking and sprinting to military vehicles.

Bicakcic goes on to describe the day that she got to read her poem to the First Lady of the United States. Her poem began with the words, "Peace has come", and Clinton, she said, seemed far more interested in her poem than in dashing for shelter.

Bicakcic said she was reluctant to criticize Clinton's account of that day because of a deep appreciation for the US role in ending Bosnia's bloody nightmare.

A picture of the girl's meeting with the then-first lady - signed and inscribed by Clinton - has become a treasured family heirloom.

Still, Bicakcic admitted that she is not supporting Clinton in her contest against Barack Obama.

"I'm staying neutral," she said, declining to discuss the issue further. "I have very mixed emotions about it. It's a difficult situation for me."

Other Bosnians are not reluctant at all to speak out and call Clinton on her lies referring to them as a "low  blow done to gain publicity":

Many Bosnians - still confronted with bullet-scarred and burned-out buildings from Sarajevo to Tuzla - said their very real experiences with violence should not serve as cheap fodder for Clinton's political ambitions.

"It was a horrible lie," said 29-year-old Midhat Efendira.

Like most Bosnians, he expressed a deep appreciation of Bill Clinton for his role in ending the war. But he found Hillary Clinton's remarks intolerable.

Tags: Bosnia, Exaggerations, Hillary Clinton, Hit Piece, lies, Misspeaking, tuzla (all tags)

Comments

41 Comments

Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

OMG someone took the time to find and interview the little girl!? lol that's just crazy

how much time do these people have on their hands!

by TruthMatters 2008-03-31 08:34AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

The New York Post .

What do you expect.

by lori 2008-03-31 08:37AM | 0 recs
I'm surprised

That you would look down on the NY Post when many of you Clinton supporters were citing among others, Newsmax, the Washington Times, and American Spectator!

by highgrade 2008-03-31 09:23AM | 0 recs
Actually, it's called doing their jobs.

Because, as your username implies, the truth matters.

by Sean Robertson 2008-03-31 08:38AM | 0 recs
Re: Actually, it's called doing their jobs.

oh come on, what the little girl thinks? lol its not THAT big of a deal, the damage was done

heh this is what happens when things get slow.

by TruthMatters 2008-03-31 08:43AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged'

Once upon a time... this was called reporting.  I know, I know, the media should just stick to feeding us the latest poll results, right?

by Whash 2008-03-31 08:39AM | 0 recs
Bosnia Loves Hillary?

Remember that diary (you probably rec'ed it)? Well now we finally actually hear from Bosnians and ..... not so much.

Sema Markovic, 22, a student, said she has long respected Hillary as a strong leader but was angered by her remarks.

"It is an ugly thing for a politician to tell lies,' she said. "We had problems for years, and I don't like when someone lies about them. It makes us look bad."

A worker at the airstrip where Clinton landed said the surrounding hills that could have harbored snipers were far too distant to pose any real threat to the first lady.

He said that he found her false account hard to stomach and that it unnecessarily revived difficult memories.

Many Bosnians - still confronted with bullet-scarred and burned-out buildings from Sarajevo to Tuzla - said their very real experiences with violence should not serve as cheap fodder for Clinton's political ambitions.

"It was a horrible lie," said 29-year-old Midhat Efendira. ....

"It was a low blow," he said. "She did it to gain sensational publicity."

Sead Numanovic, the deputy editor-in-chief of Bosnia's largest newspaper, Dnevni Avaz, laughed at Sen. Clinton's account of the alleged sniper fire and her claim that she "misspoke." ....

"We don't have space for someone's lies," he said. "Why is she so stupid? It doesn't portray her as a real leader."

by JoeCoaster 2008-03-31 09:12AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

your user name states that truth matters and then you question when somone does reseach to find out what the truth is? That sounds a bit hypocritical to me.

by lion king 2008-03-31 11:42AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

OK. Now it's out. Christopher Hitchens has confirmed what I've always suspected. It was Hillary who was against intervention rather than Bill, and responsible like many others for countless unnecessary deaths.

Read the article. This is why I am so outraged.

http://www.slate.com/id/2187780/

by brit 2008-03-31 12:05PM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

While I've gotten great amusement out of "sniper-gate," it's time to drop this one.  

It's starting to seem as desperate as the Clinton supporters who diary daily about some new angle of the Wright controversy.

In other words, let's bash McCain!

by freedom78 2008-03-31 08:39AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

The problem is how the candidates handle the matter.  When Wright was the focus, Obama took less than 2 days to give an amazing speech, spoke calmly and truthfully to the American public about race in the country.  He talked to us as if we were adults and that helped to stop the bleeding.  Hillary on the other hand thinks we are all stupid and still won't admit she lied.  How can you not remember if sniper fire was out to get you?  This is why the story has legs.  She should just come out and say she lied and the public would drop it.

by denounceandreject 2008-03-31 08:45AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

Amen to "She should just come out and say she lied and the public would drop it."  Problem is, she doesn't like to admit mistakes -- sound familiar?  Last 7 1/2 years?

by oregonkcg 2008-03-31 08:49AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

By the " public " I suppose you mean you.

Because I have been calling PA for the Clinton camp everyday since the the story and not once has anyone asked me about it.

Outside of the blogs , not too many people are really bothered about it.

The story has no legs , now Re. wright thats one I have heard being raised by the voters I have spoken to in PA.

If you think the bleeding has stopped , I think you would be mistaken

by lori 2008-03-31 08:50AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

Look at the latest polls the man is up by 10 points nationally, he is gaining in PA, and he is in the lead in NC and OR.  If it weren't for that speech, he would not be in the position he is in now.  Funny you think Wright story is going to be the main cause people won't vote for him. I saw the clip when Obama was on The View.  Elisabeth Hasselback was ready to jump on him over the Wright issue and he calmly and coolly deflected her accusations it was a beauty to watch.  I can't wait for the Republicans to bring it up.  Another rousing speech, another trip on the media circuit = more exposure for Obama.  By all means, keep bringing up Wright or Rezko the more he talks about the better.

by denounceandreject 2008-03-31 09:00AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

Wow.  I don't think I could care less.

At least the girl in the 3AM ad was an Obama precinct captain.  That made the story semi-relevant.

by bawbie 2008-03-31 08:40AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

HRC is the gift that keeps on coming.

by KathyM 2008-03-31 08:41AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

" Gift that keeps on giving "

by lori 2008-03-31 08:43AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned and Outraged' by Clinton

Thanks for that correction; because the original was a visual I didn't want in my head. :-)

by rb608 2008-03-31 09:09AM | 0 recs
barf rated

:)

by highgrade 2008-03-31 09:22AM | 0 recs
Re: Your Poll

This is the same thing as asking man "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?"

You lost any credibility this diary might have had (and it wasn't much) with that idiotic poll.

by creeper1014 2008-03-31 08:43AM | 0 recs
His poll

It was an idiotic poll, but if you rate diary writers by that...Jeesh. Where would you start? Check out Universal's one about Obama being a law professor.

If that became your standard of credibility, then most of MYDD is literally incredible.

by brit 2008-03-31 10:35AM | 0 recs
Re: His poll

ummmm, you mean like Obama was a law professor?  As for example according to the university?

by chrisblask 2008-03-31 11:06AM | 0 recs
Exactly

Obama was clearly a law professor. And Universal posted an idiotic article with an idiotic poll.

Is there an irony problem here?

by brit 2008-03-31 11:52AM | 0 recs
'Stunned and Outraged'

The women said she was "surprised," not "stunned." The Post used that word, not the women. As far as I can tell, you are the using the word "outraged." Despite the hysterical tone of your diary, even the Post article quotes people Bosnians talking about exagerrations, and "Hollywood," not "lies."

by freemansfarm 2008-03-31 08:44AM | 0 recs
Re: 'Stunned and Outraged'

I understand why they're talking about "exagerrations... not 'lies.'", because they're being more polite than is needed.  She lied.  Period.

by oregonkcg 2008-03-31 08:47AM | 0 recs
Re: 'Stunned and Outraged'

Quotation marks are used to indicate quotations, i.e., what someone has said.  You have put the phrase "Stunned and Outraged" in quotations.  Yet neither the girl nor the article nor anybody else quoted in the article uses that phrase.  Indeed, the word "outraged" never even appears in the article.

Therefore, it is you, oregonkcg, who is the liar in this matter.

Glad that we have cleared that up.

by markjay 2008-03-31 08:51AM | 0 recs
Re: 'Stunned and Outraged'

Oh ratchet down the righteous indignation.  Your correction is noted and I will modify the title.

I'm sure you agree that a mistake and a premeditated and repeated lie (a la: I dodged sniper fire) are ajust a tiny bit different? :)

by oregonkcg 2008-03-31 08:55AM | 0 recs
Re: 'Stunned and Outraged'

By the way I hope you know the pedigree of the NY Post ?

Because it seems to me you are a little confused about it.

Free republic looks like an angel when compared to it.

by lori 2008-03-31 08:54AM | 0 recs
Like it or not . . .

This story made it to the top of Drudge . . . so it will last for another news cycle.

The relevancy is that it shows the other side that had their valor stolen - the people of Tuzla that endured even more than my fellow soldiers.

by Veteran75 2008-03-31 08:54AM | 0 recs
Re: Like it or not . . .

Its not even on the website , not that it matters.

Did you miss that or you made that up ?

Plus all your valor crap that you have been trying to push ever since the story came out is a lot of hogwash.

It doesn't make any sense so get over it.

by lori 2008-03-31 08:58AM | 0 recs
Re: Like it or not . . .

On the Drudge thing . . . you are correct. It was up at 11AM ET - gone now.

On the "valor crap" - "It doesn't make any sense so get over it." : I don't expect you to get it, and that is fine.

Veterans like myself protect civilians like yourself, so you do not need to ever understand our valor and blood that we shed for you.

This election is bigger than you and me, and it is bigger than Obama or HRC. This election is about my fallen brothers and sisters in Iraq!

Do you get that?

by Veteran75 2008-03-31 09:04AM | 0 recs
Re: Like it or not . . .

Just say you know I have an immediate family member serving in Iraq right now a 22 yr old marine , so spare me the whole valor nonsense.

There is a long line of service to the country among my folks , this is a military area and any time a soldier is lost in combat the pain is felt around here.

It's ridiculous to cheapen the service of a lot of this folks by claiming that their valor was stolen based on the bosnia thing.

So please just because we are on the blogs and you have " veteran75 " as your screenname doesn't mean others don't have a stake in what is going on here.

by lori 2008-03-31 09:13AM | 0 recs
Re: Like it not . . .

So, you have family in the military and they are OK with anyone who chooses claiming to share the credit for the risks and loses they face and have faced?

Sorry, I have a hard time buying that.

There is a reason for the Stolen Valor Act that was signed into law in 2006.  General Stewart summed that up better than I can manage, you can take up the issue with him directly. All you need to do is post a refutation of his position here:

http://pennsylvaniaprogressive.typepad.c om/my_weblog/2008/03/bosnian-vet-acc.htm l

May as well put your real name and email address up there, so he can contact you directly.  No sense hiding behind nicknames when confronting a General about your perception about his lack of understanding of issues of military honor.

-chris blask
chris@blask.org

by chrisblask 2008-03-31 11:00AM | 0 recs
Re: Like it not . . .

I completely agree. When 200,000 people lost their lives in a real war zone, i.e. six months before Hillary landed, and suffered the worst genocide in Europe since World War II, it's not only valor theft, it's victim theft.

I've posted this in a diary last week. Don't underestimate how this undermines Hillary's credibility in Europe. Damn. Even my Polish girlfriend, for some reason a Hillary supporter, was upset about this issue more than any other

by brit 2008-03-31 11:56AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned

This sure doesn't sound like a campaign or supporters who have things locked up and in the bag, does it?

by americanincanada 2008-03-31 08:56AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl 'Stunned

Oh, aren't you just a cute lil' sniper.  Find me a quote from the Obama camp that he has this "locked up and in the bag"?  B.S. lovers like you deserve Clinton.

by oregonkcg 2008-03-31 08:59AM | 0 recs
Yeah, It's in the bag

No, It's not locked up.

Hillary can't pay her bills.

Hillary can't raise funds as well as Obama.

Hillary's only chance is to convince about 2/3s or the remaining uncommitted Super Delegates that she has what it takes to win a presidential election.

I don't think she has done that nor do I think it is likely that she will.

IMO campaign donors and gamblers have a lot in common. The both behave based on expectations. Hillary's supporters are suffering from diminished expectations. The math is killing her.

by Sam Wise Gingy 2008-03-31 09:28AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl Calls Out Clinton on Tuzla Lie

Where's the stunned outrage?  I thought this girl was "stunned" and "outraged"...from the quotes, it sounds to me like reporters were doing their best to get her to say something along those lines and she was being very equivocal in her responses.

by mtnspirit 2008-03-31 09:03AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl Calls Out Clinton on Tuzla Lie

roflmao...you guys are desperate, aren't you.

by LindaSFNM 2008-03-31 09:21AM | 0 recs
Re: Bosnia Girl Calls Out Clinton on Tuzla Lie

Who freaking cares?

by RJEvans 2008-03-31 09:29AM | 0 recs
Who cares?

I agree this diary is a bit tenuous, but come on:

Bosnia was the worst conflict in Europe since World War II, with 200,000 (much higher per capita than Iraq). WE CARE - and the fact Hillary only seems to care about how this may damage her spin wise, rather than the genocidal context, is a bit rich.

She shouldn't be flogged any more for it, but don't doubt Europeans care

by brit 2008-03-31 10:38AM | 0 recs

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