Exclusive photo! Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, and Tipper Gore.

When then-First Lady Hillary Clinton held a health care forum at Bunker Hill Community College in 1993, she was joined by Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore.

As the editor of the Hillary Clinton Quarterly, I assigned a photographer to cover the event.  Here is one exclusive photo from that event. I had almost forgotten that we had these pictures. They show us a rare moment in time – and they all certainly seem to be enjoying themselves.

Enjoy!

– Frank

Tipper Gore, Hillary Clinton, and Ted Kennedy at Health Care Forum, Boston 1993.

21,200 miles later, Hillary comes home after African tour.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, walksa with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Monrovia, Liberia Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Clinton offered strong support Thursday for embattled President Sirleaf. Liberia is the sixth leg of Clinton's seven-nation tour of Africa aimed at promoting democracy and development.(AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh)

Hillary Clinton has completed an arduous 21,200 mile, 11-day, seven-country tour of Africa. With the exception of an embarrassing over-reaction to a town hall question that was misinterpreted to be about her husband, Bill Clinton, by all measures her trip was an unqualified success.

In another international test, Hillary has demonstrated her intelligence, a sensitivity to international concerns, and a fierce determination to chance perceptions of the U.S. and its foreign policy.

Here’s a breakdown of her trip country-by-country from Christian Science Monitor contributor, Tracey D. Samuelson:

From massive oil-producing Nigeria to the tiny island-nation of Cape Verde, Secretary Clinton’s trip highlighted the many sides of the diverse continent. Her seven-country tour was as much about securing US interests in resource-heavy lands as it was about supporting African development. Following are summaries of her visit in each country:

Kenya

A primary goal of Clinton’s 11-day trip was to reiterate the message of transparent and corruption-free governance that President Obama urged during his trip to Ghana last month. This reiteration began at the first stop, Kenya.

Indeed, the birthplace of Mr. Obama’s father was not spared criticism for its shortcomings. “The absence of strong and democratic institutions has permitted ongoing corruption, impunity, politically motivated violence, human rights abuses, lack of respect for the rule of law,” Clinton said at a news conference after meeting with President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Discussions also included trade, agricultural development, and the instability of neighboring Somalia. In addition, Clinton met with Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, president of Somalia’s transitional government, to offer reassurance of US support.

South Africa

Clinton’s time in South Africa, a country often known as the continent’s economic powerhouse, focused on strengthening relations that had soured and stalled during the administrations of former Presidents George W. Bush and Thabo Mbeki.

“In both countries, there are two new administrations which are taking that relationship a level higher,” South African President Jacob Zuma said after meeting with Clinton.

Clinton also stressed that South Africa should be a leader for the continent and toured an HIV/AIDS clinic outside of Johannesburg that is partially funded by the United States.

Angola

Oil-rich Angola is strategically attractive to the US. Already, Angola supplies America with 7 percent of its oil imports. Angola’s worldwide oil revenues account for approximately 85 percent of its gross domestic product.

Here, Clinton pressed for strong democratic institutions and governmental transparency, pushing President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to hold the country’s first presidential elections since 1992. Mr. dos Santos agreed to elections “in a timely manner,” according to Clinton.

Clinton also stressed the need for Angola to redevelop its once-productive agricultural industry. And she signed an agreement that provides the country with $17 million to combat HIV/AIDS and prevent new infections. It was one of only two pledges for new aid announced on the trip.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Traveling to Goma, a conflict-ridden provincial capital, Clinton focused on the crimes against women that have become widespread in this country and in neighboring Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Since war broke out 12 years ago, 200,000 women and girls have been raped in Congo, the United Nations estimates. In “very frank” discussions with President Joseph Kabila, Clinton said, she “made the point that these crimes, no matter who commits them, must be prosecuted and punished.”

To Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito, she added at a dinner in her honor, “There must be an end to widespread financial corruption and abuses of human rights and women’s rights.”

Clinton also spoke out against “conflict minerals” mined in the country and announced that the US will provide more than $17 million in new funding to prevent and respond to gender and sexual violence here.

Nigeria

“Nigeria is at a crossroads,” Clinton said at a town-hall-style meeting in the capital, Abuja. She stressed the need for Africa’s largest country – and one of its most corrupt – to implement democratic reforms.

Before an audience of civil activists in Abuja, she cited a recent World Bank report that said Nigeria has lost more than $300 billion to corruption and mismanagement over three decades. And, Clinton said, the “lack of transparency and accountability has eroded the legitimacy of the government and contributed to the rise of groups that embrace violence and reject the authority of the state.”

Clinton and her counterpart, Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe, announced a new binational commission that, among other things, will aim to improve the stability of the oil-rich Niger delta.

The US supports Nigeria’s inclusion in the Group of 20, Clinton also said, but the country first has to tackle its corruption problems, she added.

Liberia

At a luncheon to honor the continent’s only female president, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Clinton said, “I will admit it. It’s not diplomatic, but I happen to be a fan and a friend of your president.”

Thousands lined the streets to greet Clinton in the warmest reception of all her African sojourns.

Despite a seven-year civil war, Liberia has been politically and economically stable since about 2005.

But Clinton did not shy away from the work Liberia has yet to do.

“Liberian people still need jobs, electricity, housing, and education,” Clinton said before a joint session of the Liberian National Legislature. “Law enforcement is still inadequate, and after years of war and lawlessness, institutions have been left crippled.”

She also noted the need for budgetary oversight and increased governmental transparency.

But she also said, “In just three years, there are encouraging signs of progress.”

Cape Verde

That Clinton included Cape Verde, a palm-speckled archipelago and refueling stop for long-distance flights, was a surprise to many.

But it was one last opportunity for her to highlight an example of good governance in Africa, after strong critiques of corruption in many of her previous stops.

“Few places … demonstrate the promise of Africa better than Cape Verde,” Clinton said in a news conference before returning to Washington.

Sucking on the government tit and health care reform.

This is a true story.

Last week while I was walking my dog, I ran into a neighbor. Let’s call him “Tiny Tim,” although Tim is anything but tiny. In fact, Tim and his wife, Krista, are both obese, to put it kindly. In case you think I am trying to be mean, it is a relevant observation as you will soon see.

I have had countless conversations in front of Tim’s driveway. Basically, he is a friendly, family man with three young children. He works as a fireman in a nearby town. His wife is a teacher. I like Tim, he wife seems nice enough, and his children are incredibly well behaved.

When Tim is out working in his yard, he usually has Rush Limbaugh blaring from his pickup truck, an immediate clue about his political leanings. Over the years I have known my fair share of Dittoheads and have learned how to co-exist with the enemy without losing my temper.

Until last week. . .

Tim asked for my opinion about health care reform. I told him that I thought it was a crime that in this country some 47 million people do not have health insurance, that health care is a right not a privilege, and that a public option is a core principle of reform that should not be dropped to appease the Far Right or the so-called Blue Dogs. In other words, my point of view mirrors that of most enlightened, educated people in this country. . . or so I say.

Upon hearing my thoughts, Tim puffed up like a t-shirted version of Rush Limbaugh and accused me and other liberals of creating a socialist health care system in which millions of people — including, he said, those vile illegal aliens — will be “sucking on the government tit.”

Since he is such a family man trying to be proper and respectable, I was surprised to hear Tim use the word “tit.” I think he meant to say “teat,” as if that would have made a big difference.

I tried to explain some of the nuances of the various reform bills, but Dittoheads are not to be nuanced. It was a “tit” or a “teat” no matter how you sucked it, according to Tim. And it was, worst of all, a government mammary, not one from the free market, private sector. 

Our conversation continued, though it was clear that if we went too far we would no longer be friendly neighbors, but turn into those town-hall, “fight club” drones sucking all the wind out of our democracy and what used to be called intelligent debate.

Out of curiosity, I asked Tim how much he paid for his health insurance. What he told me nearly knocked me into the road. For himself, his obese wife, and three young children, Tim pays $80 a month. I think I started laughing or crying or both. I told him that my last monthly premium for just me – with a $2,000 deductible and $40 office copay — was $458.

I struggled to uncover the mystery of Tim’s obscenely low insurance premiums. I have heard of other families of four with private health insurance paying upwards of $1,ooo a month. . .or more. 

Then I realized that as a town employee Tim was covered by the fire department’s insurance program. Lightening struck! It was obvious that Tim was sucking on a government tit of his own. It wasn’t the federal tit, but still —  a tit is a tit is a tit.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked. “You are attacking the uninsured because they would be sucking on the government tit but you are doing the same thing yourself? Who do you think is subsidizing your health insurance premiums? The health care fairy?”

Tim protested that there was a difference between federal taxpayers and town taxpayers. I begged to differ. Here in New Hampshire where sky-high property taxes make health insurance premiums look like a flat-chested nuisance, local taxpayers have bigger boobs than the federal variety. So, I proclaimed once more that a tit is a tit is a tit.

I was too timid or kind to say this, but in fact if Tim tried to get health insurance in the free market, private sector that he so idolizes, he and his wife would either be turned down because of their weight, or be put in a high risk pool and forced to pay a five-figure or higher monthly premium. Instead, his insurance is subsidized by local taxpayers and his premium is a mere $80 a month.

Wisely, as things were starting to get testy, we changed the topic. Tim mentioned how he wanted to do more with his life than be a fireman. I applauded his ambition. He said that after he finished paying his student loans from his undergraduate days, he would consider going back for a graduate degree.

“You have student loans?” I wondered. “Yes,” said Tim.

“Are they like Stafford Loans?” I wondered again.

Tim is a smart dude and instantly knew where I was going with my line of questioning. “Yeah, but I have to pay them back.”

“I am sure you do, Tim. But you do realize that the interest rates on those loans are SUBSIDIZED by the federal government? Do you realize that banks only make those loans to deadbeat students because they are insured by a government entity. . . a tit as it were?”

Tim protested in principle, though I am not sure which one it was. He seemed confused. I think the word is “flummoxed” — yes, Tim was flummoxed. He skulked off into his house and I took myself and my dog back home. All the way I was shaking my head, crying or laughing or both, astounded by the hypocrisy of the insured. It was clear that Tim — this anti-health care reform Dittohead who rebelled at the idea of insuring the poor — was tenaciously and delireously affixed to a few massive boobs of his own choosing.

Is Tim the exception to the rule? Of course not. I have yet to meet anyone who is against health care reform who does not have health insurance. Do you know any one like that? And how many of them have subsidized premiums? Almost all, of course, by local and state governments or by their employers.

So let me shout out the word ”tit” one more time. We all want one. There are those who have, and those who have not. Ever see kittens sucking on momma cat? How they fight and claw to keep the tit they have, never caring if their siblings starve to death. Once they have a productive tit, they don’t want to give it up.

As this health care debate proves, people are like that, too.