Clinton Comes to SLP: Talks Obamacare, Middle East, bin Laden

Hillary Clinton, the former First lady and Secretary of State, came to St. Louis Park Sunday evening, speaking at Beth El Synagogue about the government shutdown, Obamacare, the Middle East peace process, the importance of early childhood education and the raid on Osama bin Laden.

Clinton spoke for about 45 minutes in front of an audience that included Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar before answering questions prepared by the synagogue, according to a report by the Knight Errant, the student newspaper of Benilde-St. Margaret's. 

More than 1,000 people paid between $100 and $500 to see Clinton, the frontrunner in the 2016 presidential campaign. 

The attendees listened with particular interest when Clinton spoke about the bin Laden raid and described the stress of watching, powerless to affect the outcome, as the Navy SEAL team descended on the Abbottabad compound.

“We had about a 40 to 60 percent chance that Osama Bin Laden was in the compound," she said, according to the Benilde's paper. "As a former senator from New York during the 9/11 events, this was enough for me to proceed."

Anna Overbo, a Benilde English teacher, shook Clinton's hand after her remarks.

"I was surprised at how gentle, yet authoritative her handshake was—it was presidential,” Overbo told the Knight Errant.

The synagogue didn't disclose how much Clinton was paid for her speech, but she reportedly commands speaking fees of around $200,000. 

Other Clinton Quotes From Saturday Evening

“I don’t see these two developments as independent, but rather something that can grow together.” - On the connection between technological interconnectivity and the breakdown of the social fabric

“I was in Asia for a summit during the time, but knew I needed to fly out there to get this done. It was an exhausting day or so, but with great rewards." - On a 36-hour negotiation with Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi 

“Thank you for sending such reasonable representatives to Washington.” - Referring to Franken and Klobuchar role in the government shutdown and the debates over Obamacare.