13 November 2001

Hillary Rodham had received a standing ovation from her fellow Wellesley graduating class the previous spring when, as student commencement speaker, she hectored Sen. Edward Brooke, the black Republican senator from Masschusetts who was on hand to receive an honorary degree. The Washington Post described her remarks as a "mild rebuke," but many alumni thought she had been exceedingly rude. Life magazine decided to run her photo as an "example of the best and brightest" of the young generation. Her first year at Yale Law found her in the eager defense of several Black Panthers jailed on murder charges. She had the blessing of the Establishment; the president of Yale, Kingman Brewster, remarked at the time that he doubted a Black Panther could get a fair trial in America. He was ironically correct; the New Haven Panthers were acquitted. (292)