By Lubna Abdel-Aziz This is not about Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to ever reach the top of Mount Everest 56 years ago. This is about another Hillary who has been scrambling, clambering and climbing to reach another top, decade after decade. has won many battles, conquered many foes, reached many tops, but the female bias seems to have always been her nemesis. This column has never been a fan of . Her forceful, abrasive personality has been a provoking, irritating barrier, blinding many to her more favourable qualities. Although she lost her presidential bid to a more charismatic orator, the latest Gallup poll in the US finds her today, far more popular than her president. Her approval rating as Secretary of State is 62%, while President Obama, who started off his term with a 78% favourable rating has dropped to 56%. It is time we all cheered 'Hurrah for Clinton.' Like her or not, agree with her or not, she has remained steadfast and consistent in her views, her policies and her demeanour. Perhaps she still harbours dreams of returning to that magical residence with the great white dome, known as the White House. Perhaps she will again bask in the rapture of its power and prestige. For now, she has settled into being an excellent Secretary of State who stands out as her own person, while at the same time, doing her President's bidding. There is little doubt that Hillary knows more about foreign policy than her President. As First Lady during the Clinton years, the eager beaver never stopped touring, learning, listening, observing. She has spoken to many groups, parties, politicians, and statesmen. Too bad she did not speak with more humour and persuasion. Of all the prominent American women in history she may be the most ambitious, and it shows. Often compared to Eleanor Roosevelt as regards her influence on the presidency, it is said that Mrs. Roosevelt was less obvious. Subtle, Hillary is not; serious and industrious, she is. Born in Chicago, Illinois, it is surprising to find that this radical and extreme liberal started life as a conservative. She volunteered to campaign for the most conservative of Republicans, Presidential candidate of the 60s, Barry Goldwater. During her freshman year at Wellesley College, she served as president of the Wellesley Young Republicans. Then came the Viet Nam war and the Civil Rights Movement. She chose to fight for change and campaigned for the anti-war presidential nominee, Democrat Eugene McCarthy. Following the assassination of Martin Luther King, it was the young fledgling at Wellesley College who organized a two-day strike and worked with black students to recruit more black students and faculty. On entering Yale Law School, she met Bill Clinton, and the rest is history. Rodham was now viewed as someone with a bright political future within the Democratic Party. She followed her "liberal" heart to Arkansas and married Bill in 1975. Clinton's female escapades started early on, yet Hillary either turned a deaf ear and a blind eye, or was the last to know. Daughter Chelsea and the Rose Lawn Law Firm as well as her duties as First Lady of Arkansas, kept her well occupied. There was however that inextinguishable fire for more - more money, more power, more accomplishments. That White House in the clouds was getting closer and closer. She decided she would endure anything that would get her there. Her dreams were fulfilled and the Clintons moved to what they considered their 'rightful residence' in January 1993. How can you assume that such a woman would be another Lady Bird or Nancy Reagan or Pat Nixon, or even Jackie Kennedy. Far from it. She was the first, First Lady with a post-graduate degree and her own professional career which stopped for nothing and no one. She possessed a sort of audacity that only few can muster or get away with. Naturally, she had to be the first to have an office in the West Wing of the White House. No one was going to put that lady down. She soon became regarded as the most openly empowered presidential wife in American history since Eleanor Roosevelt. In fact she once admitted she imagined herself conversing with the long departed First Lady, which only irked her critics The state of her marriage was also the subject of feverish debate with the revelation of one shameful liaison after another. How she kept her cool is beyond comprehension, particularly following the Monica Lewinski scandal of 1998. One has to imagine a Hillary torn between her humiliation and ambition, rather than between her devotion and jealousy.Cunning and calculating Hillary instinctively knew that without Bill she could not reach that dome in the clouds. She chose Bill, disgrace and all. Both Clintons were infuriated on leaving the White House. It was up to Hillary to get it back. The family moved to New York, Hillary became the first American First Lady to run for public office. Having once expressed views favourable to the Palestinian cause, Hillary quickly apologized to the New York Jewish community. Apology accepted, they promptly handed her the New York Senate seat. No blushing virginal modesty did Hillary ever possess. Never gifted with a delicate gentle nature, Hillary made good use of the gifts she did possess. A polarizing figure, she was admired by some, criticized by others, especially for cynically staying in a failed marriage. Her popularity rose, and her memoirs about the sordid Lewinski affair became an eagerly read best-seller. She advanced her career and took a giant step towards that mountain top. Her 2008 presidential campaign was a brave and well- fought race. However she lacked the charm that so ravished the American public. Although she won more primaries but not delegates, in this antiquated and complicated American political system, that meant she lost. Distressed, after suffering such a lopsided defeat, there was no time for torture or sorrow, regrets or despair. On to the second best - If she could not be Madame President, she could be Madame Secretary. We know not of her heart. We know of her courage and intelligence. It does one good to observe one . She gives a clear meaning to the joys of dreaming. She has always distinguished herself in every capacity, and that top of the mountain is still within her reach. When you are aspiring to the highest place, it is honorable to reach the second or even the third rank arcus -- Tullius Cicero (106 - 43 BC)
