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Politics : Clinton's Scandals: Is this corruption the worst ever? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Les H who wrote (1266)	8/16/1998 11:26:00 AM
From: Les H	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13994

Interesting the latest spin that Hillary is highly religious in face of turmoil... Woodward Book Says Hillary Clinton Used Psychic Advisor WASHINGTON, D.C. (EP) - First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton used spiritual advisors to talk to the spirits of Eleanor Roosevelt and others, according to a new book by Washington Post editor Bob Woodward. In The Choice, Woodward describes the meetings Clinton held with Jean Houston, co-director of the Foundation for Mind Research, and Mary Catherine Bateson, an anthropology professor at George Mason University. Newsweek magazine characterized the meetings as seances. According to Woodward, Clinton held imaginary conversations with Eleanor Roosevelt and Mohandas Gandhi. Woodward said Houston suggested that Clinton next have a conversation with Jesus Christ, but Clinton declined, saying that it would be "too personal." The White House acted quickly to put a lid on "guru-gate." Spokesman Neel Lattimore said that one of the joys of the First Lady's job is hearing about unorthodox viewpoints. He acknowledged that Clinton knew Houston and Bateson, but disputed Woodward's characterization of the meetings. "These were people who were helping her laugh, helping her think," he said."These were not seances." Lattimore dismissed suggestions that Houston was encouraging Clinton to "channel" the spirits of the dead. "The only thing she's been channeling with is her television set and I can assure it was not tuned to the Psychic Friends Network," he said. White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta defended Clinton on CBS's "Face the Nation." He said, "We have to draw strength from wherever we can in order to make it from day to day. I can't tell you how many 'Hail Marys' I've said since I've taken this job. I don't think you ought to... describe it as a consultation with psychics." White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry described Clinton's meeting with Houston as "a brainstorming" session for the writing of her book It Takes a Village, and described the First Lady as someone "who enjoys listening to women with ideas and perspectives that differ from her own." In a written statement, Clinton denied that the sessions with Houston and Bateson had psychic or religious overtones. "The bottom line is: I have no spiritual advisors or any other alternatives to my deeply held Methodist faith and traditions upon which I have relied since childhood." She added, "I do wonder what Eleanor Roosevelt might think of this." Elizabeth Dole, wife of Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, was asked to name her spiritual advisors during a New Jersey campaign stop. Her two-word answer: "My church." The United Methodist Bishop of Arkansas defended Clinton's involvement with Houston. "I think it's marvelous that she's having experiences like this," Bishop Richard Wilke told the Washington Times. Wilke hailed Clinton as "one of the most profound lay theologians in the United Methodist Church. The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) issued a statement suggesting that Clinton's decision to turn to a New Age psychic for advice "highlights the lack of spiritual leadership and biblical teaching from mainline denominations like the United Methodist Church." IRD President Diane Knippers said, "The First Lady has sought guidance from her denomination throughout her life, yet her church has failed her. Like many Americans, she has sadly sought spiritual meaning outside Christianity." History records at least one seance held in the White House. Following the death of Abraham Lincoln's 11-year-old son Willie in 1862, Mary Todd Lincoln sought comfort in the then-popular practice of spiritualism. A White House seance was held in an effort to contact Willie; Mrs. Lincoln was later committed to a mental asylum following her husband's assassination. In arelated story, New York's Daily News reported June 25 that the r‚sum‚ of Jean Houston misrepresents her educational background. Her r‚sum‚ says Houston holds a doctorate from Columbia University, but the school says Houston never got her degree. The paper also discovered that Houston is not licensed to practice psychology in New York, where she is based, even though she bills herself as an "internationally known psychologist." Houston acknowledged that her r‚sum‚ was incorrect, and blamed the errors on being under pressure from reporters.