Watergate reporter demolishes Hillary’s career story

[babylonsister]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1719879.ece

Watergate reporter demolishes Hillary’s career story
Sarah Baxter, Washington

Drawing on a trove of private papers from Hillary Clinton’s best friend, the legendary Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein is to publish a hard-hitting and intimate portrait of the 2008 presidential candidate, which will reveal a number of “discrepancies” in her official story.

Bernstein, who was played by Dustin Hoffman in the film All the President’s Men, has spent eight years researching the unauthorised 640-page biography, A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“Bernstein reaches conclusions that stand in opposition to what Senator Clinton has said in the past and has written in the past,” said Paul Bogaards, a spokesman for Knopf, which publishes the book on June 19.

With the thoroughness for which he is famous, Bernstein spoke to more than 200 of Clinton’s friends, colleagues and adversaries. He stops short of accusing the New York senator of blatantly lying about her past, but has unearthed examples of where she has played fast and loose with the facts about her “personal and political life”, according to Knopf.

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[wyldwolf]

1. Didn't Peggy Noonan, Barbara Olson, and Edward Klein already do that?

[jean]

2. Bravo, Mr. Bernstein. This is the kind of investigative reporting the country has

needed.

For instance, there was no biography done on George H.W.Bush until he produced one for his campaign literature. Imagine if the country had access to a thorough portrait of the Bush family prior to his move to the White House?

[wyldwolf]

3. so, when will his book on the leading Republican be out?

[jean]

23. Who is the leading Repub, do you think? I'd like to see a Jeb Bush 'portrait.'

[wyldwolf]

24. Rudy? McCain?

[bvar22]

26. According to the article,

this book will be published on June 19th.

[wyldwolf]

27. I think you misunderstood the question

I said the leading REPUBLICAN, not the wife of the last twice elected Democrat since FDR.

[blm]

14. As long as he doesn't make shit up like the RW swiftliars do, what's to worry?

If she did typical things that most people do, then the narrative will be as boring as most people's lives.

IF Bernstein lies and completely INVENTS scenarios to achieve a narrative against Hillary, THEN it will be swiftboating and would belong in the trash along with the Barbara Olson and Ed Klein books.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

25. Well, when your National Guard records are purged

along with all other files filled with all manner of incriminating evidence, it's hard to get much investigative reporting done.

[smoogatz]

4. I've had dinner with Bernstein several times--

we were at an art colony together in the late '90s for a couple of weeks, and dinners were communal. Bernstein's an interesting guy--very smart, wildly egotistical, always sounds like he's delivering a speech, now, when he talks--but also a very intense listener, extremely interested in trying to figure out what makes influential people tick. He's a narrative-maker, for better or worse--that's the job of any biographer. It's unfortunate that Knopf is evidently choosing to market this book as mainstream publishing's version of the swiftboating of Hillary Clinton; scrutinize any resume (except mine, of course) and you'll find padding here and there.

[karynnj]

8. From your description and his reputation, this is likely not swiftboating

Kerry did not pad his service record. There is NOTHING in Tour Duty or any Kerry statement that says he did anything beyond the official record. Nothing.

Swiftboating is based on LIES. Here, if he is true to his past, he may say things that are not flattering, but he won't make up lies. (

[smoogatz]

18. I think that's about right.

What you worry about is the residual effect--from Drudge to Time to CBS news: Hillary said she had MASHED potatoes that night, but informed sources say the potatoes were scalloped! Now, some people are saying Hillary's guilty of eating babies...

You know the drill.

[femmedem]

29. It's true! Hllary eats babies! Innocent, unborn chicken babies!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. there shouldn't be much more to know about Hillary

Surely everything is out in the open by now. They've had plenty of time to swiftboat over the years? If she wasn't running for president he probably wouldn't have bothered?

[SaveElmer]

6. More proof of the commonalities between left and right...

Both exhibit a paranoia about the Clintons. On the right it is the fear they will be beaten yet again by a Clinton...

And on the left, it is the fear that we will have yet another successful centrist Democratic President...and another DLC member to boot...

I daresay if Hillary Clinton's name were replaced by say Barack Obama, there would not be a single recommend and this thread would be full of posts trashing Bernstein possibly, but more likely the newspaper for printing unconfirmed speculation about information on a book that has not yet been published...

[wyldwolf]

7. well, just let Karma take it's course. The unofficial biography of Obama is in the works, I'm sure

[SaveElmer]

10. And I'm sure when it does hit the stores...

DU will rocket it right to the Greatest Hits page...

:sarcasm:

[tigereye]

39. I want the right and Reps to be scared of the Clintons

I just wish so many Democrats weren't scared of them.....

How many more books on Hillary are there, for heaven's sake?

[bling bling]

9. Imagine that. 6 years of hardhitting investigative work....

On Clinton. While the world burns under the Bush cabal the media investigates....Clinton.

Surprise surprise.

This is the shit that makes me feel ashamed of this country. Everybody's lost their fucking minds.

[here_is_to_hope]

12. You said it for me...n/t

[JNelson6563]

16. Exactly.

Well said.

[msanthrope]

38. Thank you for saying it....n/t

[Double T]

11. It is fascinating 'watching' people self destruct while aiding and abetting.......

the heinous rethug opposition.

[truebrit71]

32. How is this aiding and abetting the rethuglicans...you do know they WANT her to be the nominee...

..right?

They are DELIRIOUS with the thought of running against her...

And therefore that makes her POISON for the party's chances of re-capturing the WH in '08...

[sutz12]

13. Why do they always bring up the "played by Hoffman" thing?

Who gives a shit who played him in a movie? How does that make what he says any more relevant or accurate?

[Alexander]

22. That's how a lot of people know him.

A lot of people don't even know who Dick Cheney is.

[Missy M]

15. Hillary Clinton's career is pretty much an open book already....

and he also talked to her adversaries. What would you expect the adversaries to do but try to destroy her. I would take some of this book with a grain of salt.

[Colobo]

17. I don't think he will reveal anything new

[AtomicKitten]

19. An interesting investigative piece would have been on Junior

who has a trail of missing paperwork throughout his adult lifetime.

Boggles the mind, really. that an investigative reporter of Bernstein's stature would choose a subject already overexposed in the press.

Perhaps he thought the GOP Wrecking Machine left a stone unturned. :sarcasm:

[karynnj]

34. I agree - There are many many books detailing this

many written before the 2000 election. What is lacking is a serious, scholarly book on it that can be dismissed as biased. I have been to bookstores in places like VT whre there are shelves of anti- Bush books.

[ieoeja]

20. So why not provide an example?

Bernstein is not quoted in this article. The publisher claims the book will do as this article says, but doesn't provide any examples. The author of this article says "one writer said" Clinton was lying when she denied knowing about the Flowers affair (ohmigod!).

And that's it. The article goes on to bash Clinton gratuitously, but without ever actually giving any facts.

Unless Bernstein or the publisher comes out with more information this is just a load of crap.

[ElizabethDC]

21. Exactly. It's all speculation at this point.

There's very little indication of what's actually in the book.

[lyonn]

40. True, the article never quoted anything except Flowers.

What is the deal about Blair's notes being available to anyone? Did she allow them to be publicly displayed after her death? Was she a real friend of Hillary's or what? Didn't it say the Blair papers are in the Clinton library, forgot exactly where Bernstein saw them? Maybe the book isn't as anti-Clinton as the article suggest. Skimmed article but that is what it sounded like. Babble mostly with a strong tilt to the negative. Hummm

[Vickers]

28. Hillary is certainly the most important story of the last 6 years.

:sarcasm:

[Name removed]

30. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[karynnj]

35. There's a need for both.

I would have loved better information on the 2004 candidates. A good, well researched biography is important. I would like similar books on Edwards and Obama - if they are still in the running - or Dodd, Richardson or Biden if they move up. The same goes for the Republicans.

It's also not necessarily a negative. I think that Senator Kerry would have benefited by a biography that covered his political career as deeply as Tour of Duty covered the various Vietnam related pieces of his life.

That can be seen by the comments here - that questioned whether he had environmental credentials - when the 2 things Clinton listed as Kerry strengths were that he was a top Democrat on techonolgy and the environment. Well informed people I know in real life knew nothing of BCCI or that he had anything to do with opposing the Contras. People here and those RL people I mentioned are politically aware, if they didn't know - there was a need for a more in depth book.

The question is whether this Clinton book will deal with substance or get distracted by inconsequesial triviality. No one is perfect, but a very in depth view of someone - if they really are good - will show a complex believable leader who you then know enough to trust.

We should wait to see the book before attacking it.

[illinoisprogressive]

31. Bernstein has been a reliable liberal but, I am troubled by a hit job book

I don't like Hillary but, I am not sure if this book is a hit job or a reliable book.

[blm]

33. When has Bernstein ever attacked anyone just to do a hitjob on them? The corpmedia is

likely going to EXAGGERATE any tough characterizations of Hillary and TeamClinton will counter with the parts of the book that speak well of her.

Hopefully, there will be other bigname Democrats speaking in her defense against any of the blatant lies, unlike the way they stayed silent against the swifts and their lies in 2004.

[ChiciB1]

36. IMO... This Was Going To Happen Anyway! From The Get-Go I've

I stated that having Clinton as a nominee for the Democrats would NOT be a good idea! Even if I was a SUPER supporter of hers, this was bound to happen. If not by Bernstein, the piling on is bound to be immense.

I said this at least a year or so ago because the REPUKES have been salivating for her to be the candidate! One of my MAIN reasons for not wanting her to run! If she were truly truly smart (IMO) she would stay in NY and fight from there!

And I can tell you from ALL the email I get from former friends that I went to school with in Texas... THEY CAN'T WAIT!!!

I'm sorry, not bashing.... just telling it like I see it! I COULD be wrong, but if I were to bet... I'd bet that Clinton isn't our best choice!

Woodward & Bernstein seem to have parted ways to some extent... Woodward having gotten more conservative, but Bernstein seems to be more of a liberal. I just think he feels Clinton is much more DLC than most. I myself have felt that way too. I actually felt it about Bill too even though I think he was an effective President... give or take a few screw ups. I KNOW I'm more liberal than they are!!!

[leftofthedial]

37. bernstein has worked for the neocons

ever since he helped them to "assassinate" Nixon

[lyonn]

41. What did it mean when they said Bernstein had writers block for so long?

Is he hard up for a big seller and willing to prostitute himself? The article was not all that informative. One gets the impression it is a hit piece yet no real meat mentioned.

Read most of Hillary's book and was impressed back then with her style. Now I am sitting on the primary fence mostly, but, do lean towards Biden to be clear about my leanings. I just don't like these hit pieces on any of our candidates. If the political writers have some real info get after it, otherwise it would be refreshing to have some honesty in this campaign season. Right, won't happen. Let the games begin.

[IndianaGreen]

42. Did you mean to say that the "Goddess of Peace" is a false god?

You ain't seen nothing yet! Wait until Hillary faces a full artillery barrage coming from her left and right flanks.

Code Pink RAAAAWWWWWKKKKKSSSS!

[Jax]

43. Uh Oh

This will tick off the 22 percenters who think she walks on water.

Clintons are all about the Clintons.

[Clarkie1]

44. Sounds like a good read! K & R! nt