April 1, 1999
Web posted at: 6:26 p.m. EST (2326 GMT)

MERZOUGA, Morocco (April 1) -- First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton returns to Washington Thursday night after a 12-day tour of North Africa. Accompanied by her daughter, Chelsea, Mrs. Clinton met with heads of state and citizens alike in a part diplomacy, part sightseeing trip.

CNN correspondent Candy Crowley, who has been traveling with the first lady, reflects on Mrs. Clinton's journey:

She has seen the Sahara at sunup, viewed the poorest sections of Marrakech in the heat of the day; had an audience with his majesty, the king, as the sun set over Morocco.

And Mrs. Clinton has watched on television as the tragedy unfolds in Yugoslavia: "What we are seeing is the result of a cold, calculated strategy. We saw it in Bosnia, we are now seeing it in Kosovo," the first lady said, speaking out again Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's actions.

A NATO bombing campaign is not traditional first lady material, but from disaster to the desert Hillary Rodham Clinton both breaks the mold and fits into it.

Some images from the first lady's trip to Africa. Click on each image to see a larger image.

This has been a trip largely about the empowerment of women, about giving them choices through economic opportunity, education, better health care and family planning.

We are left to wonder if Mrs. Clinton sees something of herself in the story of a 65-year-old woman who has just learned to read. "She has realized it is never too late to take advantage of the opportunity to become all that you can be, to live up to your own god-given potential," Mrs. Clinton said of that woman.

Tightly guarded by her staff, the first lady traveled in a protective bubble that let's you see her, but never know her.

The images are forceful -- the portrait of a strong woman: Hillary Rodham Clinton beneath the broiling North African sun soaking in a culture that is thousands of miles away from Washington; Hillary Rodham Clinton paying lone tribute to a servicewoman killed in Africa during World War II.

But now, listen to Mrs. Clinton in a rural area of the Atlas Mountains, comforting a young girl too frightened by the commotion to talk of her dreams of being a doctor: "When I was as old as she, I would be afraid too ... Sometimes, I still am afraid."

From the ancient ruins of Egypt, to the presidential palace in Tunisia, to the desert of Morocco -- after thousands of miles with Hillary Clinton, you come away with this: Every step is certain, every word is measured, and you know only what she wants you to.

Wednesday, March 31, 1999

• First lady 'horrified' at Serb attacks on Kosovo, Milosevic's 'manipulation' of truth
• McCain introduces himself to New Hampshire
• Could Kosovo make Gore another Hubert Humphrey?
• Committee: Government cannot accurately report location of billions in assets
• Witness: Jim McDougal wanted his ex to cooperate with Starr
• Supreme Court to hear first of several states' rights cases
• Bush exploratory committee says it has raised $6 million
• White House, nearly half of federal agencies miss Y2K deadline
• McCain to offer Internet bill
• New Hampshire House rejects income tax plan
• Some journalists say they don't always believe the media either

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