Recently, syndicated columnists Cokie and Steve Roberts wrote an eye-catching commentary that attempted to humanize Hillary Clinton.

Their story arises from a little-known website called HONY, Humans of New York, wherein Hillary claims when she tested for admittance to Harvard Law School (she graduated from Yale), the following occurred: “While we’re waiting for the exam to start, a group of men began to yell things like: ‘You don’t need to be here’ and ‘There’s plenty else you can do’ – a real ‘pile on.’

“One of them even said: ‘If you take my spot, I’ll get drafted and I’ll go to Vietnam, and I’ll die. And they weren’t kidding around. It was intense.’”

That’s all immensely dramatic. I’ve never heard of nor witnessed the “hostile men” from anyone who went to college in the ‘60s.

One can legitimately ask if this story falls into Hillary’s list of tales about being under gunfire in Bosnia, Chelsea’s danger in being near ground zero on 9/11, and Hillary’s claim of being named after Sir Edmund Hillary – who did not become famous until six years after Hillary’s birth.

It’s curious that Hillary, 45-plus years later, can remember this event verbatim … the same woman who said “I don’t recall” 50 times in one deposition alone, concerning the Whitewater scam (National Review, July 2013). Ditto for The Wire, February 2016, asking: “Do you recall that while testifying before congressional investigators as first lady, she answered ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I don’t remember’ 250 times?” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 2014, claims “she invented the Clinton defense of ‘I don’t recall/I don’t remember’ in the Whitewater matter.”

The Roberts are unwavering in their praise and adoration of Hillary; however, their accolades are severely challenged by several people who have had personal experiences with the Clintons.

Within days of the aforementioned article, I attended a luncheon with speaker and author Lt. Col “Buzz” Patterson, USAF Ret. His book is “Dereliction of Duty” (2003).

In 1995, Patterson was chosen to carry the “nuclear football” and be at then-President Bill Clinton’s side 24/7. His assignment was from April 1996 to May 1998 and included an office and a bedroom at the White House. He shared the same top-secret security clearance as the president.

Patterson made it clear the military is taught to be apolitical, and he went to the White House with that view. While Patterson had a positive view of Bill, he can recite some appalling circumstances, but that’s not the focus of the Roberts’ article, or this one.

Overall, the message was the two men shared a kinship with the same theme – stay away from Hillary as much as possible.

Patterson’s interactions with Hillary are the antithesis of the Roberts’ reading a blog. He confirms what many men have written about her disdain of White House staff and the military, to name two targets.

Patterson was warned early-on not to get in Hillary’s crosshairs, and he luckily survived her direct wrath.

Patterson shakes his head at Hillary’s claim that Donald Trump is unfit to be president and have access to the nuclear codes, considering his initial description of her as having a “quick trigger” and “profane.”

The speaker cited various incidents he witnessed with the Clintons together and with Hillary on her own, actions that led him to further describe Hillary Clinton as “evil, vindictive and pathologically dishonest.”

Space here does not allow for citing the examples he gave, but one is worthy of mention — the military.

The author challenges Hillary’s claims there were no stand-down orders during the Benghazi attacks and that no military personnel could have saved the four murdered men. His friends still serving tell him they were ready to go; one buddy was in his plane in Italy, and he said a rescue could have saved at least Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.

Patterson assesses that the military has been weeded of its real talent. The ill-equipped “yes men” remain, and assets are dismal.

Patterson predicts if Hillary Clinton becomes commander in chief, many good military men and women will depart. Hillary is disliked, but moreover, wholly disrespected.

This is America’s defense force, and the scenarios of a depleted and dumbed-down military quantity are frightening.

The Roberts insist that Hillary is the one, and they significantly overlook the few adjectives the mainstream media have assigned to her: “flawed,” has “warts,” “serious shortcomings,” yet announcing (L.A. Times) “her failings are insignificant.”

Critics will say Patterson is just a guy trying to sell a book. Maybe. But that hardly means he put fantasies on paper. In fact, he underlines the stories of observers before him.

For those who doubt him, it’s easy to track when and where he’ll be speaking. He is very open to questions and is very approachable.

Betty Arenson has lived in the SCV since 1968 and describes herself as a conservative who’s concerned about progressives’ politics and their impacts on the country, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She says she is unashamed to own a gun or a Bible, couldn’t care less about the color of the president’s skin, and demands that he uphold his oath to protect and follow the Constitution of the United States in its entirety.