New York Democratic Senator, presidential hopeful, and former first lady Hillary Clinton appeared at a news conference outside her Washington, D.C., mansion Friday, after a man with mental health issues held workers in her New Hampshire campaign office hostage for six hours.

Mrs. Clinton expressed relief that the incident was resolved without injuries and said it was a really stressful day for her - oh and those poor folks who were held hostage in the office in New Hampshire too.

Remember how Mrs. Clinton's party made a big deal of President Bush waiting 15 minutes before he left an elementary school in Florida after receiving word that the World Trade Center had been hit? I do and in that context I couldn't help but wonder why she didn't immediately go to New Hampshire to show her concern for her staff.

You can traverse the entire east coast of America in three hours by commercial jet, and considering she has access to some of the biggest money people in the world, with their very own private, luxury, carbon dioxide producing jet airplanes, why didn't she head right up to the scene to make sure everything was being done correctly? At least bundle up and hang with the news crews to show that you really are a concerned, caring, hands-on, get-the-job-done individual.

Well, according to the Associated Press, Mrs. Clinton is a human dynamo in these situations, its just that she works behind the scenes. Like a puppet master?

Check out this AP article that was posted on the Internet: "When the hostages had been released and their alleged captor arrested, a regal-looking Hillary Rodham Clinton strolled out of her Washington Home, the picture of calm in the face of crisis."

Wow! And I guess she would be, since she was hundreds of miles away from the crisis, sitting in a nice warm mansion, yakking on the phone.

More from the AP: "The image, broadcast just as the network news began, conveyed the message a thousand town hall meetings and campaign commercials strive for_namely that the Democratic presidential contender can face disorder in a most orderly manner."

Especially when someone else is dealing with the real situation and she doesn't have to be personally involved. Wasn't that convenient the way she got in front of the D.C. cameras just in time for the top of the hour newscasts?

It was entirely possible for her to be on the scene instead. In fact, it not only was possible, it was possible without getting in the way of the police who did a really great job of getting the distraught individual in custody after first getting the hostages released. Those guys really deserve a slap on the back and a commendation. They did well.

But what are we to assume from the grievous breach on Mrs. Clinton's part if she is elected president? When a typical presidential day erupts with one major issue following another, will she just think how awful it is for her to have to actually deal with 'stuff' not just once in a while, but several times a day? Will she call press conferences to let everyone know she is OK, but forget the people directly affected?

In this situation, again according to the AP: "Aides said Clinton immediately canceled her trip (to nearby Virginia) and began working the phones. She later told reporters she had New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch a fellow Democrat, on the phone in eight minutes."

Eight minutes! Hasn't she heard of speed dial? And I thought John Lynch played professional football.

I'm only being somewhat facetious here, considering the bashing that Bush took over his calm and controlled exit from that elementary school where he was talking with a class of little kids on 9-11. Then the Secret Service put him in Air Force One and flew him to secret locations, while Vice President Cheney also was taken to a secure place, all because these are the procedures that are supposed to be followed if our country is attacked. Immediately thereupon the left called them cowards.

These procedures insure that our government stays intact even if the infrastructure doesn't. But Bush bashing was rampant over him staying calm and following procedures.

So, considering how her party has defined what a leader is supposed to do in an emergency, why didn't Mrs. Clinton get herself up to New Hampshire? At the very least she would have shown her campaign workers and the rest of the country that she is a take charge kind of person who puts the welfare of her employees, and by extension, the rest of the country, above hers. Like Rudy Giuliani in New York! Right?

But wait! Maybe Mrs. Clinton isn't a take charge person and she doesn't put the welfare of anyone or anything above hers! Maybe she doesn't even like to delegate, as in, "You go do it, I'm busy!" Well, then, she still should have gone to New Hampshire herself!

I watched the videos of President Bush on 9-11, and if I'd had a child in that school room, I would rather have had the president act the way he did, instead of running out like a madman, scaring the hell out of the kids and staff, appearing weak and fearful.

Instead, Bush acted presidential. That is how it is supposed to be done.

I didn't see that on Friday when a man with mental health issues walked into Hillary Clinton's New Hampshire campaign office with a fake bomb and took her staff hostage.

I saw her stay way, way away, inside her house "working the phones," whatever that means, and after it was all over, hold a press conference in which she declared how stressful the situation was for her. One last time from the AP: She said she felt "grave concern" when she first heard the news of the hostage taking.

I wonder how her campaign staff feels about that? Or the voters?