A Birthday Wish and Policy Speech For Clinton Challenger

By AZI PAYBARAH, Staff Reporter of the Sun | July 27, 2006

Hours before one of Senator Clinton's Republican challengers, Kathleen Troia McFarland, blew out the candles on her chocolate birthday cake last night, her campaign announced a birthday gift, of sorts: two upcoming fund raisers to be hosted by a former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, and by a former governor of Massachusetts, William Weld.

Mr. Kissinger's fund raiser will be held on September 6, and Mr. Weld's on August 14. The campaign did not release locations of those events.

When asked, an aide to Mrs. McFarland speculated that the birthday girl probably wished for a victory in November.

According to the most recent campaign filing, Mrs. McFarland has about $282,000 in her campaign account, and more than $300,000 in debt. Her opponent in the Republican primary, John Spencer, the former mayor of Yonkers, has about $646,000 for his campaign, and about $300,000 in debt.

Senator Clinton has $22 million, and is scheduled to have a fund raiser in Saratoga, N.Y., on July 29. The next day, she is expected to join the CEO of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, at his company's annual conference in Pebble Beach, CA.

Next week, Mrs. McFarland, a former Pentagon official in the Reagan administration, will deliver a speech addressing the crisis in the Middle East. Support for the war in Iraq has put the reelection of another senator, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, in jeopardy. He is trailing in public opinion polls behind a novice anti-war candidate, Ned Lamont. Senator Clinton said she supports Senator Lieberman, who currently trails Mr. Lamont in the polls, and will supporter whoever wins the primary.

During her speech next week, Mrs. McFarland will state her opposition to declaring a specific deadline to withdraw American troops from Iraq and affirm her support for Israeli military action against terrorists. Mrs. McFarland is also expected to call Iran the biggest long-term threat to America and the Western World, according to her spokesman, William O'Reilly.