Two New Books on Hillary Paint an Unflattering Picture
But Do They Tell the Full Story?
Friday, June 01, 2007
By Tom Fitton
Judicial Watch President
Hillary Clinton's campaign had braced itself for the books, which one aide called "cash for rehash." (By J. Scott Applewhite -- Associated Press)
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Two new books about Hillary Clinton are hitting the book shelves. I have not yet had a chance to review either book thoroughly. However, if press reports are to be believed, neither paints a very flattering picture of Senator Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president.
According to The Washington Post, "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton
, by Carl Bernstein, reports that Clinton as first lady was terrified she would be prosecuted, took over her own legal and political defense, and decided not to be forthcoming with investigators because she was convinced she was unfairly targeted.” (Translation: She lied.)
The second book, Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton
, by Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr., substantiates the core of Judicial Watch’s lawsuit against Clinton pertaining to the then-First Lady’s attempts to smear Gennifer Flowers, who had an affair with Bill Clinton while he was governor of Arkansas. The book reports that during her husband's 1992 campaign, a team that Hillary Clinton oversaw hired a private investigator to undermine Gennifer Flowers "until she [was] destroyed."
(Judicial Watch alleged for years in its court filings for Gennifer Flowers that Hillary Clinton directed James Carville and George Stephanopoulos as part of the attempt to destroy Ms. Flowers.)
Gerth and Van Natta also reportedly provide substance to the long-time assertion that years ago the Clintons put into motion a “secret pact of ambition” aimed at redefining the Democratic Party and taking control of the White House. The plan called for Bill Clinton to serve eight years in the White House, with Hillary to follow for eight years. (Given Hillary’s campaign war chest, they are close to realizing their vision.)
The response by Clinton’s campaign team to these books was predictable: "Two overwhelming Senate victories in the toughest media market in the country demonstrated that voters have put these issues behind them,” said campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson.
The only problem with Wolfson’s statement...it isn’t true. According to a recent poll sponsored by Judicial Watch and conducted by Zogby International, 45% of likely voters are concerned there will be high levels of corruption in the Clinton White House should Hillary be elected, including nearly 1 in 5 Democrats. (For the reasons behind this concern, you may want to review our “Top Ten (Plus) Unanswered Questions for Hillary Clinton.”)
The Clinton campaign may have a more difficult time defending against these books than previous offerings. Bernstein, best known for breaking open the Watergate scandal with his partner Bob Woodward, is hardly a right-winger. Gerth and Van Natta, meanwhile, have spent years as investigative reporters for the New York Times, an extremely liberal newspaper. All three can expect a campaign of smears and intimidation by the Clinton machine once their books are published.
I’ll be sure to get my hands on these books and review them more thoroughly for you. I suspect, however, there is much missing from these offerings. (In the meantime, I’ve just begun reading Bill Tyrell’s “The Clinton Crack-Up,” which has some good material.) No one book is ever going to get reveal the full scope of Clinton corruption. However, you can get most of the details on their sordid history at Judicial Watch’s website, www.judicialwatch.org.
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