The Clinton Foundation, Previewing Life under Another Clinton Presidency

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QUIN HILLYER: While under fierce attack from President Obama, the Israeli prime minister defends Western values and speaks the truth about Iran. Netanyahu, Not Obama, Speaks for Us.

KEVIN D. WILLIAMSON: Leonard Nimoy was not Spock, except when he was. Live Long and Prosper.

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March 02, 2015

The Clinton Foundation, Previewing Life under Another Clinton Presidency

So what were, or are, the Clinton Global Initiative and Clinton Foundation?

Lots of former presidents have their libraries and related think tanks, their charities, their efforts at remaining in national life after their presidency. Jimmy Carter founded Habitat for Humanity.

But for Bill -- and Hillary, who was about to begin a senatorial career at the moment she thought of herself as "dead broke" -- that wasn't enough. They wanted or needed something bigger. Something with a global reach; something that didn't work with any one signature good cause but with all of them. Something that could bring in any celebrity -- even Natalie Portman and her dog with first-class tickets. Something on an epic scale, a group that would think nothing of spending more than $10 million a year on travel costs alone. The organization would wed enormous financial resources -- $2 billion -- with unimpeachable motives -- er, maybe a bad word choice. It would combine wealth on an unimaginable scale with an unparalleled ability to generate good press and publicity for their noble motives and actions

Of course, foreign governments would want in on the act. Of course, the line between the charitable initiatives and staffers' corporate consulting grew blurry. Of course there is an "undertow of transactionalism in the glittering annual dinners, the fixation on celebrity, and a certain contingent of donors whose charitable contributions and business interests occupy an uncomfortable proximity."

And now, Politico reveals, those within the institution developed its own status quo and resisted attempts at reform:

At the foundation, sources say, Lindsey and other longtime Bill Clinton confidants hampered Braverman's reform efforts by warning the former president not to allow too many changes that could be interpreted as a course correction. The result was that Braverman would develop consensus around reforms, but, when he tried to implement them, the old guard would try to undercut him, say people familiar with his tenure. They say he lacked the political background or allies to navigate between the Clintons and their sometimes divergent power bases.

And the ties of big money and friendship are tied even tighter:

And some rolled their eyes when the foundation's $250 million was invested with a firm called Summit Rock Advisers where Chelsea Clinton's best friend Nicole Davison Fox is managing director. The two were classmates at Sidwell Friends School and Davison Fox interned in the Clinton White House. She later served as matron of honor in Clinton's wedding, and her husband was a founding employee of the hedge fund started by Clinton's husband, Marc Mezvinsky.

The Clinton Foundation is appropriately named: It is powerful, wealthy, secretive, and furious in response to even the slightest criticism.

Your Listening Assignment: The NR/Ricochet Podcast Interviews for CPAC

My colleagues and I spent a good portion of CPAC chasing down movers and shakers in the conservative movement and interviewing them for podcasts. We taped a slew on Friday, so at your leisure, peruse and listen . . .

Jay Nordlinger talked to former ambassador John Bolton.

Jay interviewed founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist.

Jay interviewed Texas Governor Rick Perry, who continues to be the One Direction of CPAC, attracting a big crowd of adoring fans everywhere he goes.

Jay interviewed Kellyanne Conway, the founder and president of the polling company, inc./WomanTrend.

Jay interviewed former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina on her childhood, her life in corporate America, and her past and future aspirations in politics.

I interviewed Brent Bozell, founder and president of the Media Research Center about his CPAC speech declaration that "cultural fascism" stalks America.

I interviewed Daniel Bongino, the former United States Secret Service agent who was the Republican Party nominee for Maryland's 6th Congressional District in the 2014 elections. He's also the author of Life Inside the Bubble: Why a Top-Ranked Secret Service Agent Walked Away from It All.

Charles C.W. Cooke -- a.k.a. Charlie -- spoke with MSNBC's Joe Scarborough about the scene at CPAC and his views on the 2016 race.

Our Charlie talked to reality TV stars the Benham Brothers about cultural forces that caused the cancellation of their popular TV show from HGTV.

Jay Nordlinger interviewed Colonel Allen West, author of Guardian of the Republic, Fox News contributor & former U.S. Congressman about 2016, the state of the military, and how Republicans can do a better job of attracting African American voters.

I interviewed Kansas governor Sam Brownback about how he survived as an alleged "dead man walking" in last year's reelection campaign, what he's done as governor that's made Democrats furious, the difficulties of working with the Obama administration, and whether he misses life as a presidential candidate. (Spoiler alert: No.)

Jay and I interviewed Bob Ehrlich, who was a Republican governor of Maryland before it was cool . . . before it went mainstream.

I interviewed AEI president Arthur Brooks about his upcoming book The Conservative Heart and why conservatives actually aim to make people happy.

Jay and I interviewed Jason Beardsley of The Underground Movement and Jay Redman of Wounded Wear, both distinguished combat veterans, working with Concerned Veterans for America.

Saving the most fun for last, I interviewed actor Kevin Sorbo about his new film about human trafficking, Caged, last year's surprise hit God's Not Dead, and the real most important question at CPAC: In a fight between Hercules and Xena, who would win?

Like last year, our Amy Mitchell played the indefatigable traffic cop at our busy booth on radio row, and Scott Immergut of Ricochet made it all come together and sound terrific under constantly-shifting circumstances. God bless them.

Other must-read CPAC coverage . . .

Our Patrick Brennan notes that about two-thirds of participants in the conference's straw poll oppose the National Security Agency's use of telephone metadata to investigate terrorism.

Michael J. New writes that the panel discussing abortion was packed and optimistic.

Joel Gehrke on Indiana governor Mike Pence's message to CPAC in the keynote address.

Brendan Bordelon on whether CPAC attendees think Donald Trump is serious this time.

I told you Rand Paul was going to win the straw poll. The victory in the CPAC straw poll is a Paul family heirloom, handed down from a father to son. Andrew Johnson writes, "Paul organizers have mastered securing a strong presence at CPAC, as evidenced by his previous success: the conference is full of supporters donning t-shirt, stickers, and signs backing the senator."

My friend and podcast co-host Mickey White describes CPAC through a rookie's eyes.

While the conservative grassroots were at CPAC, big GOP donors were at the Breakers hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida, meeting some of the 2016 contenders like Scott Walker, Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush -- and our Eliana Johnson is there, letting you know how they're pitching themselves to some of the biggest donors in the party.

What I Wanted to Say Friday Night

As you may have heard, the good folks at the American Conservative Union, who run CPAC, gave the 2015 Journalist of the Year Award . . . to me.

It's a great honor, one that blindsided me. I've done a decent amount of public speaking and television appearances. But I learned Friday night that it's easier to talk about policy or politics than to spend a few minutes before an audience of big-time conservatives and Republicans trying to paint a picture in words of the people who mean the most to you. The people watching told me I did fine, but I felt like a nervous wreck.

So, for everyone who didn't get a chance to hear it, here's what I meant to say . . .

To paraphrase William F. Buckely, "I want a recount."

I should begin by thanking my editors at National Review. I am lucky to have an editor like Rich Lowry, and a publisher Jack Fowler, and to get to work with people like Jonah and Kathryn and a whole bunch who I will forget to mention.

I spend a decent amount of time on Twitter -- okay, a lot of time -- and one of the lines you hear folks on the left saying in an argument is, "Check your privilege, man!" And that's usually meant as a way of shutting down debate -- asserting that you don't have the authority or authenticity to weigh in on what's being discussed. But there's a more constructive way of making a similar point: It's to say, "Count your blessings."

I am blessed. I was blessed with two parents who love me, and I hope they're watching this at home. I became a dad seven years ago, and you don't fully appreciate everything your parents did for you until you go through it yourself.

There's a figure who has always remained in the background or periphery of my writing, and when I mention her, I refer to her as Mrs. CampaignSpot. We've been married now thirteen years, and she's been with me through thick and thin. She didn't sign on for any of this, places where my paychecks were bouncing . . . Behind every great man there's a greater woman . . . probably telling him he's doing it wrong.

I mentioned my boys a moment ago, and there's nothing to make you conservative like parenthood. All of a sudden, you have a much bigger interest in how things are 20, 30, 40 years from now.

Finally, friends are the family you choose. I'm not going to start naming them, because I know I'll forget someone, and then I'll hear, "Well, you mentioned Cam but you didn't mention me." See, now I just did it right there.

I've been thinking a lot about Andrew Breitbart lately. It was three years ago he addressed this conference for the last time. People look back and I see him described as this angry guy, a fighter -- he titled his autobiography Righteous Indignation. I wouldn't claim to be his best friend or to have known him well, but I don't think he's given enough credit for being a man who was really driven by love.

That may sound kind of sappy or like it belongs on a Hallmark card, but he demonstrated an amazing kindness and generosity of spirit to those around him.

The day Andrew died, it seemed like everyone on my Facebook page posted a picture that they had taken with him. For a guy who was always on the go, he rarely if ever seemed like he didn't have time for other people. So many people offered their tale of meeting him at a conference or gathering, getting to talk to him for ten minutes or so, and walking away from that conversation feeling like for that ten minutes, they were the most important person in the room.

A lot of his fans, friends, and contributors to his site offer some version of the same story, meeting Breitbart and sharing a news tip and then being told by him, "that is a really good story idea, and you're the one who should write it." That's what happened to my friend Kurt Schlichter, and there are so many people who got into writing or journalism because instead of holding onto a scoop or an idea for himself, Andrew told them they could do it.

You don't treat people with such enthusiastic encouragement if you don't have a lot of love for people.

Speaking of love, if I have one more message to share tonight, it's about the disagreements we're inevitably going to have. There's a primary coming up. Next year at this conference, it's easy to picture a crowd of Rand Paul supporters . . . running into a crowd of Ted Cruz supporters . . . and squaring off like the Sharks and the Jets in West Side Story.

So if we're inevitably going to fight, let's fight like a family. Because we all know why we're here. We're not here for the money. You don't become a conservative because you know the media is going to be so nice to you. You don't do it because you know academia is going to welcome you so warmly. You don't count on Hollywood treating you with so much respect.

You're here because you care. And sometimes it's hard to care. The news isn't always good. It's a lot easier to not care, and to go think about the Kardashians or something. And so whatever has us as conservatives disagreeing with each other, let's remember that we're all here because we want to make this country a better place.

Behind me, the gracious and kind Carly Fiorina . . . which is going to make writing critical pieces on her from here on out really awkward.

ADDENDA: I don't know if this newsletter makes liberal pundits sound like horrible monsters; I hope that it doesn't. Not because they aren't, but because some of them aren't. One of my favorites -- the opposite of a horrible monster, a woman with a bit of a conservative side -- is Ana Marie Cox, who wrote about her Christian faith in the Daily Beast Sunday:

The only place where my spirituality feels volatile is in my professional life; the only time I've ever felt uncomfortable talking about my faith is when it comes up in conversation with colleagues.

It does come up: Since leaving Washington, I have made my life over and I am happier, freer, and healthier in body and spirit and apparently it shows. When people ask me, "What changed?" or, "How did you do it?" or, sometimes, with nervous humor, "Tell me your secret!" I have a litany of concrete lifestyle changes I can give them—simply leaving Washington is near the top of the list—but the honest answer would be this: I try, every day, to give my will and my life over to God. I try to be like Christ. I get down on my knees and pray.

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