Althouse: "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fell down on her way to the White House late Wednesday afternoon, fracturing her right elbow...."

June 18, 2009

"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fell down on her way to the White House late Wednesday afternoon, fracturing her right elbow...."

Oh, no! What happened?

Was she confused and disoriented?

93 comments:

Bob said...: Now that was some high-grade snark.

*laughs*; 6/18/09, 5:12 AM
bearbee said...: ...fell down on her way to the White House...

Again? Strike 2.

Did O arrange for a booby trap?

Anyway, hope her elbow heals properly.; 6/18/09, 6:01 AM
MadisonMan said...: Ouch!

I hope she has a quick recovery.; 6/18/09, 7:03 AM
KCFleming said...: And yet no sign that pride wenteth before it.; 6/18/09, 7:15 AM
traditionalguy said...: Bearbee...You cannot blame Pres. Obama for this because everyone knows that Bush left behind him a world full of bad Gravity.; 6/18/09, 7:20 AM
The Drill SGT said...: traditionalguy said...
Bearbee...You cannot blame Pres. Obama for this because everyone knows that Bush left behind him a world full of bad Gravity.

And shifted the White House maintenance budget to fund Gitmo. The saga of America's deteriorating infrastructure is a blight on te Bush record.

Thank god for the stimuls package. Now we can get the West Wing driveway repaved by union workers.; 6/18/09, 7:28 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Did Michelle push her?; 6/18/09, 7:29 AM
KCFleming said...: "Women may fall when there's no strength in men."; 6/18/09, 7:34 AM
bearbee said...: I'm sure Medicare will cover....at least before they cut the budget.; 6/18/09, 7:35 AM
Jason (the commenter) said...: I hope she had Life Alert.; 6/18/09, 7:54 AM
Wince said...: Well, we always knew Hillary had sharp elbows, but a cougar?

"Time for a Boniva Break."

Deidre: You are one hot cougar, friend.

Jacqueline: Then later, I gave him a blow joy on my wicker fan chair.

Toni: Joy?

Jacqueline: Well, its certainly not a job.

Deidre: Ladies, Boniva break.

Toni: Oh, Boniva.

Jacqueline: [raises glass]To Sally Field.

Toni: [raises glass] And to strong bones

Deidre: Hear, hear.

[Deidre gives the pills to her cougar friends. They chase them down with some red liquor from their cocktail glasses]

Deidre: Oh, that's tart.

Jacqueline: That's very,very tart.

Toni: Why is this drink so tart?

Deidre: Kenneth, Kenneth? Why is this drink so tart?

[Kenneth is the show's director. He's an old black man wearing a headset mic, clipboard]

Kenneth: [angry] It's a Tartini! Tartini's are tart![turns his back]; 6/18/09, 8:00 AM
knox said...: Jason, LOL.; 6/18/09, 8:17 AM
The Dude said...: Drunk again.; 6/18/09, 8:22 AM
wuzzagrunt said...: Doctors wired her jaw shut, as a precaution.; 6/18/09, 8:23 AM
Jason said...: She was dodging sniper fire.; 6/18/09, 8:24 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: I wonder of garage mahal felt a disturbance in the Force?; 6/18/09, 8:30 AM
dave_WI said...: What is with these Liberal women, Sotomayor and Clinton, they can't walk and talk at the same time.; 6/18/09, 8:36 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm waiting for an over-the-line comment from someone who feigned outrage at David Letterman's over-the-line comments.; 6/18/09, 8:37 AM
KCFleming said...: In which Hillary learns that chewing gum requires more concentration than previously thought.; 6/18/09, 8:39 AM
KCFleming said...: I agree.
Gaywrites' comment was over the line.; 6/18/09, 8:40 AM
Bissage said...: After I broke my elbow, the surgeon was kind enough to give me the leftover bits so I could stick them in my ear.; 6/18/09, 8:40 AM
Peter V. Bella said...: My my, some people. The poor woman fell and really hurt herself. It is not her fault if she has a drinking problem or a balance problem. She needs help.

Of course, she probably felt no pain. People like her feel no pain. When you have spent your life as a door mat, you are desensitized to pain; yours and other people.; 6/18/09, 8:43 AM
Balfegor said...: I'm waiting for an over-the-line comment from someone who feigned outrage at David Letterman's over-the-line comments.

slip-and-fall != rape.

That said, I do feel sorry for her, and hope she recovers. But then, I rather like Clinton, so it means less coming from me.; 6/18/09, 8:49 AM
Darcy said...: Ouch. My kid did that when he was 5. Pretty frightening fracture.; 6/18/09, 8:51 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: In 2007 I was finishing up a training ride in anticipation of doing a century ride the upcoming weekend. I was in a park riding on the road and was about to pass another rider on his left who was hugging the curb. I was well in the middle of the road when the guy decided to make a u-turn. Never looked once before turing right into my path and I broadsided him doing about 23mph.

I went ass over tit and among the broken bones I suffered was a fractured elbow which required two pins. I also broke three fingers on my left hand including my ring finger which required my wedding band to be cut off not to mention 7stitches on my left eyebrow.

Broken elbow sucks but better than a broken skull. Thank Allah for the helmet.; 6/18/09, 9:00 AM
Jason said...: She was choking on a pretzel.; 6/18/09, 9:00 AM
BlogDog said...: Back and to the left...
Back and to the left...; 6/18/09, 9:04 AM
Anonymous said...: Jason: Not to be humorless, but things like LifeAlert actually do work. When my dad slipped & fell, he pushed the button and it called me. Although he was 50' away from the main unit, around a corner, I could still hear him and he me (which was saying a lot considering his hearing).

When a friend of my mom's fell & broke her hip a couple of weeks ago, it took her a couple of hours of making noise before attracting a neighbor's attention and summoning help. Had the neighbor not gone to weed that side of her yard, the woman would probably have been there a lot longer.

/end free advertisement; 6/18/09, 9:06 AM
Anonymous said...: Maybe she can get to a Hamas' health care provider?; 6/18/09, 9:09 AM
Strayhorn said...: "Confused and disoriented"? I thought the phrase was "tired and emotional."

/read too much _Private Eye_.; 6/18/09, 9:18 AM
TWM said...: Karl Rove's invisible army of ninja bone breakers is hard at work. First Sotomayer and now Hillary. Who's next?; 6/18/09, 9:20 AM
@RolandRock1234 said...: Where's that reset button when you need it?; 6/18/09, 9:34 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm waiting for an over-the-line comment from someone who feigned outrage at David Letterman's over-the-line comments.

So, you equate jokes about the Sec of State with jokes about sex with a 14 year old girl?; 6/18/09, 9:34 AM
Cincinnatus said...: You guys are cracking me up.; 6/18/09, 9:35 AM
AlphaLiberal said...: Just a guess: gravity?; 6/18/09, 9:38 AM
AlphaLiberal said...: So, you equate jokes about the Sec of State with jokes about sex with a 14 year old girl? .

He didn't make the joke about a 14-year old girl. He thought he made the joke about the one who was pregnant and an adult.; 6/18/09, 9:40 AM
KCFleming said...: Tonya Harding had no comment, but wished the Secretary of State a swift recovery.; 6/18/09, 9:43 AM
TWM said...: "He didn't make the joke about a 14-year old girl. He thought he made the joke about the one who was pregnant and an adult."

So he says, but I find it impossible to believe a man as successful and smart and with a competent staff didn't know who was with Palin at the game. Please, he knew but just didn't think anyone would care.

Secondly, Bristol is just 18 . . . the joke doesn't really play that well with her either. (Except in the hearts and minds of those who hate Palin and her family).

There, that horse is beaten to death now. And in the end no minds were changed.; 6/18/09, 9:47 AM
KCFleming said...: As soon as Letterman makes a joke about raping Chelsea, I'll feign outrage.; 6/18/09, 9:49 AM
Anonymous said...: He didn't make the joke about a 14-year old girl. He thought he made the joke about the one who was pregnant and an adult.

So, it's OK to make jokes about sex with a 14 year old as long as you are ignorant? OK. Interesting defense.

But nice to know 18 yr olds are fair game.I am shocked he found no humor in Biden's daughter's fondness for nose candy.; 6/18/09, 9:49 AM
Jason said...: Oh, ok, so making remarks like that about someone else's 18 year old daughter who has done nothing to warrant the abuse on national television is ok.

Alpha Liberal, if you have children of your own, I feel sorry for them. They deserve better.

You should be very careful to stay out of the path of better men than you.; 6/18/09, 9:51 AM
Cybrludite said...: AlphaLiberal,

Last I checked, "I thought she was 18" isn't accepted as a legal defense antwhere in the US.; 6/18/09, 9:54 AM
Daryl said...: He didn't make the joke about a 14-year old girl. He thought he made the joke about the one who was pregnant and an adult.

Whatever he intended, the words that came out of his mouth added up to a joke about a 14-year-old girl, and it took him a week to apologize for that.

And he still won't apologize for his ongoing campaign to degrade Bristol Palin as a way to hurt Gov. Palin. All Gov. Palin did was attend a baseball game--and Letterman is trashing her children? Does Davey think if he does this enough, Gov. Palin will disappear? He's wrong, but that doesn't mean we should ignore his disgusting, creepy, sexist obsession.; 6/18/09, 9:59 AM
Anonymous said...: "He thought he made the joke about the one who was pregnant and an adult."

You mean the one who is the barely-legal teenage daughter of a (past) political candidate? The daughter who is minding her own business and has never sought the public spotlight (her mom was the candidate, remember)? Since when is it open season on making sex jokes about a politician's children, whether they are 14 or 18?

People used to be wise enough to realize how tacky and over-the-line this is. If Bristol Palin decides to run for political office (as Hillary has) and make herself a public figure then the situation will be different. But right now, it's just creepy picking on a teenage girl whose only sin is, apparently, to have Sarah Palin for a mother.; 6/18/09, 10:02 AM
Unknown said...: Is there security video? Bet the secret service has it looped.; 6/18/09, 10:03 AM
Unknown said...: Calling Chevy Chase! Calling Chevy Chase! New shtick alert!; 6/18/09, 10:08 AM
MadisonMan said...: You mean the one who is the barely-legal teenage daughter of a (past) political candidate?

Yes, that one. The one that Leno joked about last year. (Well, except her Mom wasn't a past political candidate then).

Feel free to tell me about all the umbrage you fell about that joke, too.; 6/18/09, 10:13 AM
MadisonMan said...: Most of the comments in this thread are not very funny. But I did chuckle at Pogo's 9:43 comment.; 6/18/09, 10:15 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Most of the comments in this thread are not very funny. But I did chuckle at Pogo's 9:43 comment.

Well in fairness MM she broke her elbow, not her neck or back. I'm sure she'll be just fine although she may not be able to backhand Bill as easy.; 6/18/09, 10:26 AM
Anonymous said...: He thought he made the joke about the one who was pregnant and an adult.

When you live by pithy "in the know" commentary and sarcasm about what's happenin', don't you think you probably ought to actually know what's happenin'; 6/18/09, 10:28 AM
Ralph L said...: MM, Leno's joke repeated what was already reported (that Bristol was pregnant) and made the joke about Edwards being the father, which was slanderous to HIM, since she was underage. Not very nice, but very different from Letterman making up a pregnancy.
Still no response from A-Rod? Guess he knows when to keep his mouth shut.; 6/18/09, 10:33 AM
MadisonMan said...: It's just that the day after, it's probably not funny -- unless linked, like Pogo did, to a past action. I'm sure the pain from her brittle bones snapping like dry kindling is considerable.

Drink Milk everyone!; 6/18/09, 10:34 AM
goesh said...: I don't like to see anyone hurt and I wish her well; 6/18/09, 10:49 AM
MadisonMan said...: Or eat cheese. Preferably from Wisconsin, as we ALL know that Wisconsin cheese is far superior to California "cheese".; 6/18/09, 10:54 AM
Joan said...: My reaction surprised me, comprised as it was of only wishes that our Secretary of State heal quickly and completely. Hasn't Clinton been through enough? That kind of elbow injury is dreadful.

I don't get the people who are defending Letterman. Willow, the 14-year-old, was at the game with her mother. Feigned ignorance is no defense.; 6/18/09, 11:07 AM
The Drill SGT said...: MadisonMan said...
Or eat cheese. Preferably from Wisconsin, as we ALL know that Wisconsin cheese is far superior to California "cheese".

Or eat "Cougar Gold", a surprisingly excellent cheddar from the students at WSU

http://www.wsu.edu/creamery/; 6/18/09, 11:28 AM
holdfast said...: I hope she gets better as quickly (really) as possible, but would recommend that she not take her convalescence in East Jerusalem at this time.

I am happy to oppose Clinton on most any topic, but there are a very few people on whom I wish physical pain, and she is not one of them. She's just wrong about a lot of stuff.; 6/18/09, 11:28 AM
bagoh20 said...: "What is with these Liberal women, Sotomayor and Clinton, they can't walk and talk at the same time."

Don't forget Liberal talk radio's Randi Rhodes who got drunk and fell down in 2007, causing substantial injuries, then claimed some guy mugged her. Later admitted to being drunk and not remembering anything.

I know conservative women drink, but are they more weeble-like or what explains their gravitational superiority.; 6/18/09, 11:29 AM
bagoh20 said...: Since there are so many legal eagles here, I'm interested as to what is the significance of the president's handling of these IG's lately.
-
From what I've heard, it is totally illegal, not to mention extremely uncool to send out record amounts of tax money and simultaneously fire the people charged with making sure it is not corruptly spent.
-
The uselessness of the media, I fear, is getting very dangerous to us all.; 6/18/09, 11:36 AM
Derek Kite said...: Love it. Great snark. I love the sound of gnashing teeth in the morning.

More seriously, do you think this will provide cover for the inevitable pushback on Obama's Iran stance?

"My Secretary of State was in hospital. I was distracted".

Derek; 6/18/09, 11:42 AM
MamaM said...: a.k.a. the Funny Bone

Yes, it hurts to break one
Yes, I'm sorry she's experienced this pain and inconvenience
And YES, I am enjoying the turns of phrase and humor in these comments.
Even the prissy ones.; 6/18/09, 11:46 AM
traditionalguy said...: This may be a sign since she was twisting Israel's arm over the building of new buildings inside the existing jewish west bank "settlements" when her own arm ended up breaking first.; 6/18/09, 11:50 AM
Original Mike said...: @Randy

These "I fell and I can't get up" stories puzzle me (hopefully I never find out first hand). My Dad had a close friend who, in his 60's, fell out of a tree while chainsawing off a limb, and broke his back. He crawled a mile down a gravel country road to get help. When you ask him about it he says, "yeah, it hurt like hell, but what choice did I have?"; 6/18/09, 11:54 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: OK Guys. Not funny. (Maybe slightly ironic) A shatterd elbow is very painful and we shouldn't be amused at someone's physical pain.

To make mean spirited jokes puts us on the same low level of the likes of Wanda Sykes, Letterman and the rest of the liberal scum who actively wish death on those who don't agree with them.

However, I will be amused when she gets a cream pie in the face or her support hose pool around her canckles.; 6/18/09, 12:00 PM
MadisonMan said...: The UW's cheese selection isn't very broad, but I really like the Romano. The Dutch Kase is also very good.

I don't buy the juustoleipa because for years they mis-spelled it on the wrapper. Why reward bad spelling?; 6/18/09, 12:09 PM
The Drill SGT said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/18/09, 12:25 PM
The Drill SGT said...: I accept the scolding DBQ.

I will note that my sarcasm was aimed not at Hillary, but at the likelihood that Bush would be blamed.

as for Cougar Gold, it is real cheese I got for Christmas and MM started the cheesy part :)

I imagine a broken elbow in a female senior citizen is both painful and debilitating.; 6/18/09, 12:26 PM
hombre said...: He didn't make the joke about a 14-year old girl. He thought he made the joke about the one who was pregnant and an adult.

No. After he got called on his shit, he said he thought he was making a joke about the older daughter -- which, of course, was a-okay.

Take the hook out of your lip, Dude.; 6/18/09, 12:36 PM
Denny, Alaska said...: Aren't we well past Letterman's sell-by date?; 6/18/09, 12:37 PM
Jason said...: Does Letterman still have a job?

If yes, then no.; 6/18/09, 12:48 PM
Jason said...: Does Letterman still have a job?

If yes, then no.; 6/18/09, 12:50 PM
ricpic said...: First Sonia, now Hillary. It's these wannabe manly leftwing power women attempting the power roll, losing balance and taking a spill. Norman Mailer had the roll down pat. Or they could take lessons from their friendly neighborhood bull dyke.; 6/18/09, 12:52 PM
Cedarford said...: So much for my previous belief that the broad-butted, thunder-thighed ,nothing up top, low center of gravity Hillary was like a weeble that may wobble, but never fall.

In other news, the Obamas denied they had lectured Saskia and Malia that laying banana peels out on the White House grounds for unwary whiteys was in any way funny.
Michelle said "the word whitey never entered into any conversation, real or hypothetical".; 6/18/09, 1:04 PM
Roger J. said...: Drill SGT: as a twenty year resident of eastern WA (although now a Memphis transplant) you are correct about cougar gold--it is very very good although hard to find.; 6/18/09, 1:23 PM
KCFleming said...: Not funny?

mea culpa.; 6/18/09, 1:29 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Hoosier:

I did something like that about 15 years ago. A rider in front of me suddenly stopped. I hit his bike and pretty much vaulted myself over him then hit the sidewalk and rolled almost off the curb into car traffic.

I was lucky - did not break any bones but my bike's sprocket was destroyed.

The asshole who I hit said to me "jeez you should be wearing a helmet". I said "good idea with idiots like you on the trail".; 6/18/09, 1:32 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Roger,

They ship FEDEX, but not in the Summer. I got my 9 pound can at Christmas; 6/18/09, 1:34 PM
Kev said...: First Sonia, now Hillary. It's these wannabe manly leftwing power women attempting the power roll, losing balance and taking a spill.

Except it's not just lefties or women to whom this is happening; here in Texas, our very rightwing, very male Governor Rick Perry broke his collarbone after falling off his bicycle last week. He had to do his ceremonial bill-signing session with the "wrong" hand after that, because his writing arm was in a sling.

And all politics aside, I have nothing but best wishes for these folks; as someone who slipped on a steep staircase a few months ago and is still awaiting knee surgery, I know full well that the force of gravity, when unexpectedly encountered, can be a formidable foe.; 6/18/09, 1:39 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: The asshole who I hit said to me "jeez you should be wearing a helmet". I said "good idea with idiots like you on the trail".

Testify. Well the guy who decided to do the U turn did say he should have looked first which I agreed would have saved me a lot of pain.

In addition to injury I did have to replace my right brake, shifter and needed a new fork.; 6/18/09, 2:11 PM
MadisonMan said...: I broke a helmet when an idiot pedestrian stepped off the curb into the bike lane in the middle of the block. Did she look to see me speeding towards her? She did not. Did I go ass over teakettle trying to avoid killing her? I did.

No broken bones though, just some road rash. I don't think my bike suffered either.; 6/18/09, 2:40 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I have never reached anything near 23MPH on my bike and that probably saved me from bigger repairs and injuries.

Though I did have to walk 5 miles or so with my busted bike. This was way before cell phones.; 6/18/09, 2:42 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Mad Man:

Did you hit the pedestrian? I have found they are the biggest hazard to bikers.

BTW I view these periodic falls as good tests of my bone density.; 6/18/09, 2:50 PM
knox said...: "Cankles" LOL.

Yesterday it was "crotch" that had me laughing. Some words are just funny, especially when it's a body part. "Nipple" is funny, too, when you think about it.; 6/18/09, 3:32 PM
MadisonMan said...: I hit her, and she fell down, but my contortions to not kill her I think saved her from broken bones. Did she apologize for her stupidity, or thank me for not killing her? She did not.

Sheesh.; 6/18/09, 3:38 PM
Cedarford said...: Check out the Hillary Clinton "weeble doll".

(Now subject to product recall, because the real Hillary not only wobbled, but actually did fall down.)
http://writingsucks.blogs.com/public_radio_slave/images/weeble.jpg; 6/18/09, 3:50 PM
wuzzagrunt said...: Blogger Dust Bunny Queen said...

OK Guys. Not funny. (Maybe slightly ironic) A shatterd elbow is very painful and we shouldn't be amused at someone's physical pain.

Yeah...except that when I cracked a couple of ribs (also a bike wreck) my friends, coworkers, and even my loving wife had enormous fun at my expense. The big sport was to try to make me laugh, increasing my suffering. It somehow made the situation more tolerable.

I'd do the same for any of them.; 6/18/09, 5:07 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I busted a collar bone in high school. That hurts big time. I bet a broken elbow is pretty painful too.

I think Hillary just stumbled - it happens. I bet she is getting tired of her job and being pushed of to the side with no real decision-making power. She will resign before the end of 2010.; 6/18/09, 5:37 PM
David said...: Hurts . . . like . . . Hell.

Sorry, Hillary.

Bicyclists: Get a motorcycle. They can hear you coming.; 6/18/09, 5:58 PM
pete m said...: what was Bill doing?; 6/18/09, 9:50 PM
Anonymous said...: @Original Mike

These "I fell and I can't get up" stories puzzle me (hopefully I never find out first hand).

I hope you never do. Not everyone is as physically fit as your dad's friend probably was. In my dad's case, COPD was killing him and he was dead two weeks later. Getting up from the floor by himself was not an option, although he did try. I do know a woman who suffered a heart attack after getting out of her car in the garage. She tried climbing the stairs on her own to get help. That's where they found her three days after she died.

My Dad had a close friend who, in his 60's, fell out of a tree while chainsawing off a limb, and broke his back. He crawled a mile down a gravel country road to get help. When you ask him about it he says, "yeah, it hurt like hell, but what choice did I have?"

Glad he made it. My question would be more along the lines of what was he doing up in a tree fooling around with a chainsaw all by himself, a mile away from anyone else.; 6/18/09, 10:12 PM
Methadras said...: That WOOOSH I heard earlier was AlphaLiberal scrambling to amass his latest propaganda barrage on Althouse against the snark that Hillary will received on his way to begin his candlelight vigil underneath her hospital window.

In other news Washington D.C. receives a bit of a respite from the perpetual sound of nervous courtesy cackling.; 6/19/09, 2:51 AM
Methadras said...: I wonder what delicious irony could have ensued if Cackling Clinton got her way with CacklingCare. I'm sure they would have put her on a waiting list. NO? Oh wait, the elite never have to wait.; 6/19/09, 2:52 AM
pedals said...: i recently fell off my bike and broke my ELBOW also,, BUT

I have been telling everyone "I was POLE DANCING and i fell off the DAMN POLE"

then i say.. Hillary was on right after me..; 6/19/09, 10:58 AM