The Clinton Hostage Drama

As I type I do not know how hostage situation will turn out; obviously I hope that it ends peaceably with no one hurt [Wish granted, see UPDATE] [E&P identifies the perpetrator as Leeland Eisenberg; a Leeland Eisenberg of Rochester, NH was cited for stalking and DUI in 2007.  See "IN THE NEWS" below.]

ROCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - A man claiming to have a bomb strapped to his chest seized several hostages at Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton's New Hampshire campaign office on Friday before releasing two in a tense standoff with police.

It was unclear whether there were any hostages remaining in the campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire and police were still surrounding the building.

...

Local media described the hostage-taker as a mentally unstable man in his 40s who had apparently strapped highway flares to his body and had told his son earlier to "watch the news."

Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, was not in New Hampshire and canceled a speaking date in Virginia immediately after news of the incident broke.

"She's in Washington D.C.," said Secret Service spokesman Darrin Blackford, who had no further information on her whereabouts. "We're monitoring the situation in New Hampshire but its being treated as a local police matter," he said.

Setting aside the human toll, my instant guess is that the political impact of this will be bad for Hillary in a way that would not be true for another candidate.  This may all change when we get the perpetrator's story but right now Ms. Clinton carries the heavy baggage of a huge unfavorable rating and this incident will remind people that she is the candidate that enrages a sizable slice of the public.

UPDATE:  The Times:

A tense standoff at a presidential campaign office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Rochester, N.H., ended shortly after 6 p.m. Friday, as an unidentified man who had held at least four people hostage was taken into police custody. There were no apparent injuries.

....[Officials] also would not comment on the suspect, but witnesses who spoke to a relative of the man they believe to be the suspect said he was despondent and had been drinking for several days.

At 5 p.m., there had been no reports of injuries.

...

While authorities said nothing about the identity of the hostage taker, several residents provided a description of the man they believe to be involved in the hostage taking.

Herman Ejarque, the co-owner and manager of the nearby Governor’s Inn, said in a telephone interview that a relative of the suspect had come into the inn at about 2 p.m. after being interviewed by police. The man’s relationship to the suspect was not clear — he is either the son, step-son or son-in-law. He talked with the inn’s front-desk receptionist, Chelsea Coul, telling her he was cold and looking for a cup of coffee but that the town had been evacuated and everything was shut down.

The man told Ms. Coul that the suspect’s wife had sought a divorce a few months ago and that he was unemployed and “hasn’t been in the right state of mind” for three months. Ms. Coul said the man told her that the suspect had been drinking for 72 hours and that he needed help and quoted the suspect as saying, “I don’t know what to do with my life.”

He also said he believed the suspect was “harmless.”

...It was unclear what political fallout, if any, the incident might have.

It's bad for Hillary.

MORE:  Apparently the hostage-taker called CNN:

NEW YORK Leeland Eisenberg, who held several campaign workers hostage all afternoon at a Hillary Clinton storefront in Rochester, N.H., surrendered to police at 6:15 this evening. Cable news caught the arrest as it happened, with Lee Eisenberg, in a white shirt and tie, emerging, going to his knees, getting handcuffed and taken to a police car.

No one was hurt in the entire affair.  Three or four hostages had been released over time.  Sen. Clinton was in Virginia.

Minutes later, Wolf Blitzer on CNN's Situation Room revealed that the man had called the CNN bureau in Washington during the crisis and talked to staffers -- not Blitzer. The CNN anchor also said that Eisenberg had called another CNN office, which he did not identify, as well.

He said the cable news network decided not to reveal this before so it would not interfere with any negotiations.

He was probably irate that his You-Tube question had been overlooked for the Republican debate.

As to his motivation:

Police and the media have suggested that the man who took the hostages has had "issues" with local law enforcement. E&P has found one specific case involving the local man, who reputedly has some mental problems.

Back on March 16 this year, local media reported on
Rochester police coming up with a novel idea for fighting auto theft. But some residents -- including Eisenberg -- were outraged at their plan.

The plan: checking car doors, and if unlocked, leaving behind a warning flyer.

"It's an outrage, it's an absolute outrage," said Eisenberg in one report. He claimed the intrusion into his Chevy violates the Fourth Amendment, and raised such a fuss that his picture appeared in a local newspaper.

"That's a crime. They violated my civil rights and the rights of many citizens in this city that are not even aware of it," said Eisenberg, who was now asking state and federal authorities to investigate the Rochester police.

Eisenberg said he thinks police searched his car illegally, because it was clean when he parked it for the night and dirty with ash from the ashtray the next morning, when he found the flier.

He said he complained to the state attorney general, the governor and the U.S. attorney. Police later said they were re-thinking the idea.

IN THE NEWS:  A Leeland Eisenberg of Rochester, NH made the local police blotter twice this year:

Published April 20:

7:51 p.m. --Leeland Eisenberg, 46, of Milton Road, 16, is charged with two counts of stalking.

Published June 2007:

With the help of a resident who called to report a suspected drunken driver on Washington Street, police charged Leeland Eisenberg, 46, of 182 Milton Road, Apartment 16, Rochester with driving while intoxicated.

AP COVERAGE: Glen Johnson of the AP fawns on the "calm", "orderly", "regal" Hillary performance.  Ann Althouse does not fawn on Glen Johnson; archives of his stories are here and here, and we see that the Romney people have it in for him.

KATHERINE SEELYE OF THE TIMES: "Mrs. Clinton struck just the right grace notes".

Comments

[True American Patriot]

It's our lucky day then, isn't it, Tom?

[PeterUK]

Highway flares? Obviously a member of Sendero Luminoso.

[Topsecretk9]

It's bad for Hillary.

I'm not sure I agree with this. I don't think it matters one bit. It looks as if this is just a poor soul and has no effect on Hillary. At least it doesn't change my view of Hillary either way.

I guess I just don't see it.

[True American Patriot]

You don't see because you don't want to see.

Hillary is bad and therefore everything that involves -- or doesn't involve -- Hillary is bad. Bad for Hillary.

Hillary drove that man to drink and caused his life to become meaningless.

Tom understands.

[clarice]

HEH,PUK.
Elizabeth Edwards "Bless her heart"(If you know the South, you know what that means) is already blaming it on the climate of hate.

I blame it on the fercocked notion that there's no such thing as "mental illness".It's just a "myth".(Thomas Szasz) and that the state should not be allowed to lock up for treatment people who are such an obvious danger to themselves and others except in the most extraordinary circumstances--a rare right and left kumbaya with the left buying Szasz and the civil liberties crock while the right saw a neat way to cut down on public expenditures).

[Porchlight]

I think the political fallout depends on her reaction. If she tries to make hay out of it with some b.s. about health care or the VRWC, that will backfire. People's patience for that kind of Clintonian spin is not inexhaustible. The more sensible approach would be to make compassionate, relieved noises, congratulate the community on their handling of the situation, and move on.

[Rick Ballard]

Nothing like a little Fe-y supplement, TM.

[Semanticleo]

"she is the candidate that enrages a sizable slice of the public."

Are you talking per capita or obesity?

It may just be your POV, but inquiring publicans want to know.

[centralcal]

I love it that the poor guy was calling CNN all afternoon (in the middle of his crisis, hostage taking, no less!!!!) - he probably wanted to have a You Tube moment.

I love it that the guy pulls this terrible stunt on a day when we are talking about Republican vs. Democrat mental health!

Too ironic.

[Porchlight]

"Bless her heart" - good one Clarice. Works perfectly for Mrs. Edwards.

[monroe]

BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!

[PeterUK]

Now if it was Bill that was running,this could be an enraged husband ,father,brother or boyfriend.Then again...

[Cecil Turner]

What, Clinton attracts nuts? Ain't exactly news, is it?

[PeterUK]

"Are you talking per capita or obesity?"

You,fat head.

[PeterUK]

"What, Clinton attracts nuts? Ain't exactly news, is it?"

Not really,they both married one.

[hit and run]

There have been no denials that this guy was a bundler on the lam. Suspicious, that.

[PeterUK]

There has has been no denial that the man was sent in there to take one for the team.

[HG]

As I type I do not know

I hope that it ends peaceably with no one hurt

We know it was a commenter...........

Leeland? Leeward. Baytown?

[Porchlight]

The misidentification of the hostage taker was very strange. For hours the name of one guy was reported - with his son coming in to talk to police and the media. Now they've ID'd the guy as someone entirely different. The NH freak population must be pretty high...I imagine Mark Steyn (an NH resident) will be weighing in on this, if he hasn't already.

[Letalis Maximus, Esq.]

Like all good Senators and Congressional Reps, at the slighest hint of danger, Hillary appears to have...disappeared. Cancelled all appearances. Went into hiding. Once the coast was clear, came out and held a press conference. I am amazed she couldn't find some other Dems to join her in a spirited rendition of "God Bless America."

[Ignorance is Bliss]

He was probably irate that his You-Tube question had been overlooked for the Republican debate.

...and he probably figured that if he got a job with the Clinton campaign he'd have a better shot.

Is he crazy? Crazy like a fox.

[Sara]

She's in New Hampshire giving a press conference, with all the law enforcement people involved surrounding her.

[Jeff Fecke]

She's in New Hampshire giving a press conference, with all the law enforcement people involved surrounding her.

Hiding in plain sight. Damn you, Clinton!

[Topsecretk9]

Posted by: Jeff Fecke | December 01, 2007 at 02:54 AM

Hmm. It was shown that she went incognito when the hostage was announced. The press pre-hostage were complaining about her in- hiding-no access treatment and in this situation she went deep out of sight waiting for the My Pet Goat book Sandy Berger hid in the dead drop?

[MarsVsHollywood]

No surprise she disappeared. As former First Lady and Presidential candidate, she has Secret Service protection. They have little sense of humor about stuff like this.

It's not going to hurt her. The guy was apparently seeking her out to get her help, not because he was mad at her. She's already described him as someone crying for help in an "inappropriate" way.

[Curly]

How can we be sure that Eisenberg wasn't a CNN plant? I call it the "Eisenberg Uncertainty Principle"...

[centralcal]

It was an elaborate campaign ad for Hillarycare. Mr. Eisenberg complained (repeatedly in multiple calls to CNN) that he was unable to get the mental health care he needed because it would cost "thousands of dollars." He "needed" to speak to Hillary!

[John]

Actually, now it's all over and leaving aside the more nutty comments above, it's clear Clinton has emerged from this as a star. Several newspapers are already publishing stories about how well she handled herself and then got huge coverage at the two peaks of yesterday's news cycle 6.30 and 11.00. I don't live in NH but it has to be dominating the news there so she is probably going to get a bounce from it I'd say. That's the problem with the Hillary haters from extreme left and extreme right (that's what they have in common:extremism) they view everything through a distorted prism and that's just not how the real world views things.

[centralcal]

"it's clear Clinton has emerged from this as a star"

You seem to be quite serious about this. Ann Althouse does a fantastic job of critiquing Hillary's boffo performance.

I think a majority of observers would agree with her take on this (those both "extreme" and from the "real world").

[clarice]

Macsmind is hinting there's a backstory to this which will break this weekend.

[Eric J]

Look for the Truthers to turn this into a botched CIA mind-control assassination. (Similar techniques to Mark David Chapman and John Hinkley.) Any odds on whether they'll find a copy of Catcher in the Rye in his personal effects?

[centralcal]

I was eating dinner when Hillary "the star" gave her statements to the press about the days' events.

I was, uh, struck, uh, by her, uh, speech patterns. I wondered if anyone else was noticing?

Well, it seems that AJStrata heard what I heard: "But Hillary could not get three words strung together without an “uh” stuck in there."

[clarice]

She never can. You've uh never uh noticed this before?

[centralcal]

Truth be told, I try NOT to listen to her most of the time. I can't stand the sound of her voice. I felt the same way about John Kerry. Even if you discount their words (which I admit I disagree with), it is their gawd awful delivery of their words that send me to the remote to change channels.

That would be a wonderful polling subject. Wonder if anyone has thought of that before?

[kim]

Wow, I just found three words whose dictionary definitions differ from my understanding; persiflage, perseverate, and confabulate.

I was looking for the words to describe her 'uhs'. 'Uhs' are common in confabulatory speech, informal and folksy. 'Uhs' are also common in the speech of people with the need to constantly check what they are saying with what they have previously said. Perhaps she is deliberately using them to soften her persona, but I doubt it. Now whether the constant crosschecking of her speech is cautionary or deceitful, I'll let you be the judge.
==============

[Porchlight]

I can't stand That Voice, either. Kinda funny, if you Google:

hillary "that voice"

you get some interesting results. I think a lot of people are on the same wavelength.

[clarice]

I expect uh speech is also a sign of someone searching without a scriptwriter for a way to string together a couple of words in a somewhat coherent fashion.
In the way that some people interject "you know" repeatedly in whatever they say. (Her Highness does this, too.)
I expect it's this AND your suggestion that he's playing for time to monitor what she's saying to make sure it's "on message".

Of course, it could just be a flaw in the machinery.Robo-candidates are a fairly new concept and need work.

[clarice]

***that She's playing for time ***

Quite a slip.Oops

[centralcal]

Oh, Porchlight! Thanks for the google tip. I had some great laughs from the search results.

Here is one of my favorites from Glen Beck:

"BECK: It can`t be just me. I know it`s not. I mean, if there`s somebody in your life whose voice just sticks in your ear like an ice pick, somebody who makes every part of you just clench every time they speak. Yes, the senator and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has a voice like that. It makes me envy the deaf. It does."

Yeah, ice pick in the ear. Perfect description.

[glasater]

When I was going to Toastmasters years ago, our club did not tolerate "uh" in a speech. Someone listening would fire a clicker for every "uh" spoken. Plus the offender would have to pay a nickle for every "uh" counted.

[kim]

It's possible to pity her and her Democrats. Were she not Bill's wife her flaws as a politician would have been limiting, before. Now they've got another Gore, another Kerry. When will they learn?
===========================

[Neo]

Glen Johnson of the Associated Press has to be one of the most transparent Hiliary ass kissers claiming to be a journalist since Eleanor Clift of Newsweek.

[kim]

Lyin's and spiders and monkeys, oh my!
=========================

[kim]

C, have you seen James Hansen's latest idiocy, that coal trains supplying powerplants are the equivalent for endangered species as the death trains were for carrying people to the camps?
============================

[Porchlight]

Centralcal, I read in a novel once that you can tell a tone deaf person by a certain quality in their voice. I think Hillary's voice has that quality (isn't there video somewhere of her singing horribly?). It's going to be real hard on the ears for a long time if she wins.

[kim]

Ah, then I predict deer in the headlight moments to come.
===================================

[Porchlight]

by a certain quality in their voice

Oops, their speaking voice, that is....

[centralcal]

OT: Yesterday I mentioned a letter written by Quin Hillyer to CNN threatening lawsuit over elements of the Campbell Brown documentary. Here is CNN's response (from MediaBistro)

"Yesterday, FishbowlDC first reported the complaints lodged by Citizens United against CNN concerining the cable network's 'Broken Government' program.

We've obtained this statement from CNN's Campbell Brown:

I'm glad that this documentary is generating discussion among those that it portrayed - "the passionate partisans on the left and right" We presented a balanced and entertaining look at how various groups of all political persuasions try to influence the process. I am both thrilled with the documentary and the fact that more than million people tuned in."

I used to like Campbell Brown.

[clarice]

"More than a million people"? That's not terribly many actually, especially when one considers most of them are probably stuck in hospital beds and airports without any way to change the station.

[MayBee]

Couldn't Hillary just have met with him? He just wanted to ask her one question!! What does a guy have to do? Get a motorhome and camp outside her home for a few months?