Shortly after receiving a pneumonia diagnosis on Friday, Hillary Clinton decided to limit the information to her family members and close aides, believing the illness was not a crucial issue for voters and it might be twisted and exploited by her opponents.<br />Clinton’s decision backfired when her campaign scrambled to reassure voters Monday about her health after she grew visibly weak and was filmed being helped into a van.<br />But the manner in which Clinton’s illness became public created concern among supporters and skepticism among critics about her seemingly reflexive tendency to hunker down, often citing a “zone of privacy,” when she senses a political threat.<br />Clinton’s aides acknowledged they should have been more forthcoming and said she would release more details about her physical fitness and medical history this week.
