Hillary Rebuffed - Gender War Continues

Hillary Denied Bid to Take Charge of Health Care?

Ailing Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) apparently has rebuffed a bold bid by
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) to take over health care policy in the
Senate when the new Congress convenes in January.

Sources tell the Sleuth Clinton had approached Kennedy, who chairs the
Senate health committee, and Democratic leaders about creating a new special
health care subcommittee, one she would chair.

Her hope was to draft the legislation that would fulfill her presidential
campaign promise - and President-elect Barack Obama's - for a sweeping
health care overhaul plan.

But sources say Kennedy is cool to the idea. So is his top health care aide,
Michael Myers, Kennedy's staff director on the Senate Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

Myers tells the trade publication InsideHealthPolicy that Kennedy will
continue handling health care policy at the full committee level. Asked if
that meant Clinton would not be tapped to head a new health subcommittee as
rumored, Myers said that was correct.

POINTER: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/11/hillary_denied_bid_to_take_cha.html