...With a little help from Slick...
___________________________________________________________
NewsMax.com
newsmax.com
With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story...
Sunday May 14, 2000, 10:45 AM EDT
Merchant Marine Academy 'Ordered' to Make Hillary Speaker
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point,
New York was "ordered" to replace its scheduled
commencement speaker with First Lady Hillary
Clinton at next month's graduation ceremony
because "she's the wife of the Commander in
Chief," a knowledgeable source has told
NewsMax.com.
And the graduating cadets are so unhappy about
Mrs. Clinton's starring role, there may be some
embarassing moments at the June 19th event, the
same source warns.
Last week an Academy spokesman confirmed to
NewsMax.com that Hillary would replace Navy
Secretary Richard Danzig after two cadets tipped
WABC radio's Sean Hannity to the news. Danzig
had accepted the invitation to speak after the
first lady rejected three separate requests from
the Academy last fall.
But by Tuesday Hillary had changed her mind and
Secretary Danzig had to be disinvited. "He
graciously agreed to step down," said the
spokesman, who explained that Danzig understood
he might be bumped by someone "higher in the
administration" when he accepted the invitation.
But another source says the Academy had no
choice whatsoever in the matter.
"She is the wife of the Commander in Chief and
the order was given for Secretary Danzig to step
aside so that Hillary could give the
commencement address," said the source, who
insisted on anonymity. "We have a first lady
who's running for Senator. She can bump whoever
she wants."
"I'm sure the orders came from the president
himself," the source speculated.
Merchant Marine cadets were none too happy with
the Hillary invite in the first place. And now
that the wife of the Commander in Chief is
pulling rank, they may show their displeasure
when she shows up, said the source.
"When the graduating class of 2000 heard in
November that she might be the commencement
speaker, they said that if she comes, they will
turn their chairs around and have their backs to
her."
There may also be boos, suggested the source,
who explained that the the cadets had yet to be
told officially that Hillary planned to bump the
Navy Secretary when NewsMax.com reported the
story on Wednesday.
All Rights Reserved ¸ NewsMax.com
_____________________________________________________
newsmax.com |
