If you read my post a couple of days ago, then you already know of my sympathetic feelings toward Hillary Clinton in regards to the long shadow her husband continues to cast.

Way back in November, according to an article by Tom Brune for the Newsday Web site, the concern about “the Bill question” was already rearing its ugly (read, having a bad hair day) head. Brune quoted University of Southern California law and international relations professor Edwin Smith as having cautioned that “Appearances of impropriety or awkward political moments could arise, as happened while Hillary Clinton was running for president.”

“An awkward political moment” is certainly one way to describe Hillary’s loss of cool last week. It is understandable that she would be a little reactionary to questions that seem to cast doubt on her independence from Bill. It might even have irked her slightly that while she was holding court at a press conference Tuesday morning with Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez, what people really wanted to know about was Bill’s meeting with the President at the White House to share with him the information garnered from his trip to North Korea.  This time, Hillary kept her comments about Bill-related issues to a bare minimum. Bill’s information was “extremely helpful,” she replied. ‘Nuff said.

But just when it seems Hillary should be able to move past last week’s “Bill-ious” episode, yet another Bill pokes his head out into the arena of U.S.-North Korea relations: current New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Good grief–another Bill stepping into the ring? And just what exactly would have prompted the North Korean diplomats to approach Bill #2 now?

According to MSNBC, Richardson (the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. during the Clinton Administration as well as Clinton’s Energy Secretary [Bill’s, not Hillary’s, in case you’re confused]) stated that the “visiting diplomats spoke positively of the meeting with [you guessed it] Bill Clinton and seem to want to engage.” Ah. Bill. Again. Apparently Bill #1 and Bill #2 are on speaking terms again after Bill #1’s own Bad Hair Day (and you know I mean that figuratively, not literally) back in April ’08. Too bad for Hillary–this is starting to feel like one Bill too many.

To someone like me, who’s only a casual observer of politics, Hillary’s upstaging on North Korea this week by the two Bills makes it look like she’s becoming the Rodney Dangerfield of the diplomatic set. Having one Bill rattling around undermining her presence on the world stage was bad enough, but adding a second one into the mix makes it seem like the President, the Bills, and the North Koreans are attempting an end-run around the Secretary of State, rather than engaging with her directly. Edwin Smith is looking pretty prescient at the moment.

Hillary must be so tired of hearing the name Bill by now (I know I reached my own saturation point long ago.) I imagine her doing her best Jan Brady impression : “Bill, Bill, Bill!” , and now, “Bill Richardson! Bill Richardson! Bill Richardson!” I am only surprised that it took so long for her to finally lose her composure over yet another reference to “that sacred name”.

For her sake, I truly hope she avoids turning on the Weather Channel for the rest of the week…