Hillary's travel plans changed today.
When her itinerary was made public, and Argentina was not on it, I was disappointed. As it happened, due to the earthquake in Chile, there was a change in the itinerary. Rather than spending tonight in Santiago, she and her entourage flew instead to Buenoes Aires where Hillary Rodham Clinton was received by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. How perfect! Here's why.
Cristina Kirchner was elected President on the heels of her husband Nestor's service in that post, i.e. she was once First Lady of Argentina, and now Nestor is "First Spouse." They both, all of their political lives have been and still are members of the Justicialista Party.
The Justicialista Party (a social justice party representing working class people and the poor) was formed by another famous political couple, Juan Domingo Peron and his wife Maria Eva Duarte de Peron aka "Evita." Here they are on the balcony of the Casa Rosada, Argentina's equivalent of our White House. Eva Peron did not have the educational advantages of Hillary Clinton, Cristina Kirchner, or Michelle Bachelet, but she WAS smart. She had excellent political instincts and a strong dedication to the disadvantaged. What ever you may think you know about her, she remains revered by Argentines who actually THANK Americans who visit the tomb where she lies. She did many good things, and most who know about her understand that she really was the brilliant mind behind her husband's political success.
Eva wanted to run for Vice President and was nominated by the Justicialista Party in 1951, but the military opposed her and forced her off the ballot. She died the following year of cancer. July 26 at 8:20 p.m. many still light a candle and say a prayer for her. Some believe she is a saint and pray TO her for her intercession. I personally would not be unhappy to see the Catholic Church shake off its political chains and beatify her.
After her death, Peron remained in office until he was overthrown in 1954 and Evita's body disappeared. He remarried in the interim and lived in Spain with his third wife, Isabel Martinez de Peron. In the early 1970's Eva's body was found buried in Italy and returned to Peron and Isabelita (as she was called then). The body was perfectly preserved (and remains so as far as we know). In 1973, Juan Peron, Isabelita, and the body of Eva Peron returned to Argentina where Isabel and Eva's sisters had her properly interred.Peron went on to run for the presidency in 1973 with Isabel as his Vice Presidential running mate. They won. When he died in office in 1974, Isabel Peron became the first woman president in the world.
She lasted two years, was overthrown by a military coup that began Argentina's "Dirty War" that led to the rise of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo who demonstrated peacefully in the Plaza de Mayo in front of the Casa Rosada with pictures of their disappeared children.
The failure of the Argentine military against U.K. forces in the sovereignty dispute that led to The Falklands War, a topic Cristina may bring up as sovereignty raises its head again, (the Argentines call these islands the Malvinas) in 1982 was the beginning of the end of military rule in Argentina. The next year, Raul Alfonsin, a civilian, was elected.
So this post is to celebrate Hillary and Cristina in the Casa Rosada - so RICH with women's history, and the help they plan to offer Michelle Bachelet, outgoing President of Chile, and all the spirit - the very STRONG spirit of Evita that must permeate the room we see in the pictures below.
I am blown away! Happy March 1! Happy Women's History Month!
