“Mrs. Clinton ... was of invaluable help, both in the fashioning and the shaping of the program and also as a clear advocate.”

THE BOTTOM LINE: The record suggests Clinton did indeed lobby for children’s health coverage but that many others were responsible as well. And it also shows that her husband nearly killed the idea before it ever got off the ground…..

When Clinton arrived in the middle of the situation in that May, diplomats on the ground expected an ineffectual high-profile visit. But they were wrong. “She was quite at ease and professional,” says a diplomat who served in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, at the time. Clinton visited refugees in camps on the border and held talks with the Macedonian leadership.

When the Prime Minister complained about American companies terminating textile contracts with local firms, Clinton promised to urge the businesses to change course. Five weeks after her trip, Clinton returned to the country with a pledge from Liz Claiborne to support textile manufacturing there.