Clinton was 'savvy' insider at Wal-Mart

BENTONVILLE, Ark., May 19 (UPI) -- Former Wal-Mart executives recall U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton as an insider who sought to make the company more environmentally friendly.

Sen. Clinton, D-N.Y., sat on the board of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. from 1986 to 1992, navigating policy concerns that now affect Wal-Mart's image, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

Clinton, who last month called Wal-Mart a "mixed blessing," nudged the company to hire more female executives and to become more environmentally friendly while remaining silent as Wal-Mart pursued anti-union strategies, the newspaper reported.

"She brought a pragmatic understanding of how life works," said Robert K. Rhoads, a Fayetteville, Ark., attorney who was Wal-Mart's general counsel. "She was a real savvy board member and one smart lawyer."

Critics said Clinton brought little lasting change to Walmart and a former executive said she was not an advocate of bold reform.

 "She was not a dissenter," said Donald G. Soderquist, Wal-Mart's former chief operating officer. "She was a part of those decisions."