Hillary Clinton says the expression on her face in that now iconic picture of the White House Situation Room taken the day Osama bin Laden was killed is "the way I usually look when my husband drags me to an action movie."
Such was told to NBC's Brian Williams for a Rock Center special to be aired Wednesday which was previewed on Sunday's Meet the Press (video follows with transcript and absolutely no need for additional commentary):
BRIAN WILLIAMS: There you are.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Here I am, sitting right here.
BRIAN WILLIAMS: That's-- that's an intense-- look on your face. And everyone is-- intently watching that screen.
PETE SOUZA: I-- I can't say for sure.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: That's-- that's what it feels like, because I remember Hillary-- putting her-- her hand over her mouth at that point. There's silence at this point inside the room
BRIAN WILLIAMS: When you look at it, w-- what does it conjure up inside you?
HILLARY CLINTON: Well, that's the way I usually look when my husband drags me to an action movie. (LAUGH) You know, what it conjures up is all of the emotions that-- were running through my and every other-- person in that small group // even now, I feel (LAUGH) the adrenaline and the c-- I guess the cortisol course, you know, surging through my-- body. It was-- just-- an extraordinary-- experience. And-- and a great privilege to be part of.
As a post facto aside, according to Britain's Daily Mail, Clinton's claim last year was that she may not have been gasping in horror at all in this picture (H/T John Ziegler):
Speaking today at a press conference in Rome, she said: 'I am somewhat sheepishly concerned that it was my preventing one of my early Spring allergic coughs. So, it may have no great meaning whatsoever.' [...]
Clinton added that she could not remember what exactly they were watching on TV at that precise moment but admitted: 'Those were 38 of the most intense minutes. I have no idea what any of us were looking at at that particular millisecond when the picture was taken.'
It will be interesting to see the entire interview Wednesday to find out if this has somehow changed in twelve months with an election nearing and if Williams will question her about it.
Stay tuned.
