Was She Or Wasn't She

With a wave of her hand, Hillary Clinton brought peace to Northern Ireland....or not. Depends on who you talk to.

She didn't do a thing to bring peace, says Barack Obama. All talk, all puffery and posturing.

Easy for him to say, seeing as he wasn't there. What about the others, those who were there in Belfast when the dealing was done?

There's himself, of course, but you'd expect Bill to say that the missus was a key member of his team, ten years ago. Totally biased opinion, and not worth a second glance.

David Trimble was minister at the time. representing Whitehall. The Irish love Bill for the peace deal, so how can a proper English type be positive? According to Mr. Trimble, Ms. Clinton was along for the ride, like any other wife of any other executive. First Ladies are supposed to travel with their presidential mates. She wasn't there at the table when the negotiations took place. Why, she was nothing more than a cheerleader.

Gerry Adams was there at the time. As far as he's concerned, Ms. Clinton is within her rights to say that she played a role. As for David Trimble, he's a shower of shite that one. Mr. Adams met with Ms. Clinton, in her capacity as the First Lady and the Senator. What does Trimble know of their meetings, talking out of his head and he doesn't know a thing.

John Hume was there at the time. The former leader of the SDLP can't believe that anyone is so dense as to downplay Ms. Clinton's role in the peace process. She played a positive role, he says, and he ought to know since he was there at the table as well.

Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell was there at the time. He was the chairman who presided over the peace negotiations. In his opinion, Ms. Clinton was involved and she helped the process along. She did more than the average First Lady, and went so far as to found an organization to encourage women to engage in the political arena. Hence, Mr. Trimble's animosity towards a woman who encouraged others to get out of the kitchen and raise their voices.

Who's got it right? The nationalists like Gerry Adams and John Hume? Or the loyalists?