WASHINGTON — Before her four years as secretary of state, her historic battle against Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, her service as a U.S. senator and her eight years as the nation’s first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton was an Arkansas personality.
An ambitious lawyer, she assisted in the political climb of her equally ambitious husband, Bill, who was elected Arkansas attorney general, then governor and finally, the nation’s president.
Though she is now a global figure, many Arkansans remember the time that the Illinois native spent in Arkansas. Members of the Arkansas congressional delegation from both parties speak of her with respect.
Sen. John Boozman, a Republican, said Clinton is as hardworking as any secretary of state in history.
Rep. Tim Griffin, who as a Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee heard testimony from Clinton on many occasions, recalled that as an undergraduate student at Hendrix College, he applied for a scholarship. Clinton, then first lady of Arkansas,was on the committee that grilled him.
“She asked a lot of questions,” Griffin said.
Griffin didn’t get the scholarship, but doesn’t bear any hard feelings. He called her “tireless,” “gracious” and “kind.”
Sen. Mark Pryor, a Democrat, said Clinton didn’t have a “magic wand” to fix the world’s problems. As a Cabinet secretary, he said, she did have “high intelligence and a strong work ethic.”
Pryor served with Clinton on the Senate Armed Services Committee.He called her the best senator in the Senate when she served in the upper chamber from 2001-09.
In a move that was criticized at the time, Clinton had moved to New York to establish residency, shortly before senatorial elections there.
Pryor recalled turning to her in a committee room one day early in his first term and saying, “I can’t believe you’re a senator from New York.”
Clinton didn’t miss a beat.
“I can’t believe you’re a senator from Arkansas,” she said.
Pryor said Clinton’s ties to Arkansas are strong.
“She literally saw me grow up,” he said.
Front Section, Pages 12 on 02/03/2013