Clinton gamble that paid off
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Wednesday March 03 2010
NIALL O'Dowd, it could be argued, took a chance on Bill Clinton. The end result was a pathway to a different Ireland. To O'Dowd and the most important man in the world at that time, the US President, we all owe a debt of gratitude.
In his book, the Drogheda man outlines their first meeting and the whole political intrigue that followed.
It was early 1992 and the election campaign in the States was starting to crank up. Clinton was looking for the IrishAmerican vote and O'Dowd was the man who could garner it. He succeeded.
Chris Hyland, a New York interior designer, was Bill Clinton's Deputy National Political Director. It was he who would be the first point of contact. He called O'Dowd, he wanted an Irish-American support group for Clinton. Could it be set up?
'I told him it could and that it was already under active consideration. I said that there was a deep well of support for any candidate who would pay attention to the Irish issue,' O'Dowd writes in his book.
'We discussed ways of motivating the support base. I told him that, as a first step, I would place an article in my weekly Irish Voice inviting those interested to come along to an inaugural meeting. I expected that a few dozen or more core Irish activists would show up for such an evening because there was considerable interest in the community in the candidate from Arkansas.
A Clinton fundraiser was organised shortly afterwards in New York. That's when O'Dowd would meet him for the first time.
'Halfway through the meal, Clinton entered the room, surrounded by a phalanx of aides. It was my first opportunity to view Clinton in the flesh. He made his way painstakingly around the room, stopping for lengthy periods at every table.
'He had an easy familiarity with people and was clearly at home pressing the flesh. He came to our table and Hyland introduced me. He nodded hello and fixed me with that intense stare. For that brief moment he gave you his undivided attention.
'We'd love to see you involved in bringing peace to Ireland,' I told him.
'I would love to do that,' he said. 'It is an issue I have followed. That was it. We posed for the obligatory photograph and he looked like he was gone. Suddenly he turned on his heel and came back.
'Niall, tell your friends Ireland is on my radar screen,' he said. 'I think we can do something.'
'His brief words gave me hope. This was a time when American politicians stayed clear of the Irish issue. This guy was sending signals that he was different. A few months later, in late September, all had changed utterly. Now Clinton was the frontrunner for the presidency, essentially on the cusp of throwing George Bush out of office. The rank outsider had suddenly become the favourite as Bush foundered in debates and revealed himself out of touch on the economy. The longshot was suddenly leading the field.'
