God bless those embed reporters. Some are armed with handheld video cameras. Others? Audio recorders. Which made for this fine clip of Bill Clinton responding to Todd Purdum's Vanity Fair article — which he sort of already did with that lengthy-ass letter. But now Clinton is saying things like: "[Purdum is] sleazy. He's a really dishonest reporter. And one of our guys talked to him . . . And I haven't read [the article]. But he told me there's five or six just blatant lies in there. But he's a real slimy guy. [...] Let me tell ya– he's one of the guys — he's one of the guys that propagated all those lies about Whitewater to Kenneth Starr. He's just a dishonest guy– can't help it."
And that's when he brought up David Granger. CONTINUED »
J.C., Clinton!
After Vanity Fair's long expose – a writearound, in fact, given that Bill Clinton refused to participate – in the July issue, which is getting more play thanks to the voluptuous Angelina Jolie gracing the cover, the ex-president's camp appears to have copy/pasted from its defense playbook, countering the article and the magazine that has a "penchant for libel."
Todd Purdum's article arrives just in time, because at some point this week, wife Hillary will be an after-thought as Barack Obama champions toward November, and our focus, genuinely, jumps to Obama vs McCain.
So while the public can still be relied upon for its interest in the Clintons, VF hits with "The Comeback Id," which opens with a not-so-kind portrayal of Clinton and his skeevy friends, like Ron Burkle, owner of the plane "Air Fuck One," and Steve Bing, whose favorite pastime is litigation. (Though there is this line: "In fairness, it should be said that Clinton’s entourage that weekend also included his daughter, Chelsea, and her boyfriend, Marc Mezvinsky, and no one who was there has adduced the slightest evidence that Clinton’s behavior was anything other than proper.")
The article, all nearly 10,000 words of it, which jumps around from his presidency and his scandals to his new sources of income and his role in his wife's campaign, can be summed up in this way: "What’s the matter with him?" CONTINUED »
The wingspan of Bill Clinton's power is wide! Or Bill Clinton thinks it is! Back in 2006, he tried squashing the ABC miniseries Path to 9/11, which his inner circle feared would blame some of the WTC attacks on Clinton White House policy (i.e. not finding Osama bin Laden), claims Carol Felsenthal in her new book Clinton in Exile: A President Out of the White House. Even Madeleine Albright jumped on the bandwagon, calling for the series to get killed, even though she hadn't even seen any of it.
Sound familiar? It should. It's the same sort of scenario Clinton pulled with GQ, threatening to drop out of participating in the magazine's "Men of the Year" issue of a critical profile of wife Hillary got printed. Editor Jim Nelson ending up killing the piece (though it was reused elsewhere), and Bill gave him a cover.
ABC, as history tells it, didn't cave.
Us Weekly is backing off its Barack Obama bias by allowing the spouses of Hillary and Barack to pen first-person arguments for the candidate they sometimes sleep in the same bed with. Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama have 1,000 words to argue who deserves to be Us' "Look of the Week," and who deserves a citation from the Fashion Police.
That's Rich. After months of stalling, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton have released seven years of their joint income tax returns. And they're rolling in it: $109 million of it, actually. [Hillary Clinton]
Last week, David Shuster was indefinitely suspended for suggesting that the Hillary Clinton campaign was “pimping out” first daughter Chelsea, the most likable member of the Clinton entourage.
Chelsea Clinton has always been a bizarre public figure. In 1992, she was her dad’s biggest supporter. But since becoming first daughter, she has understandably struggled with her lack of privacy as an adult. Until Iowa, Chelsea mostly hid in the background of her mom’s campaign.
In Maine, where Barack Obama won one of four primary elections over the weekend, Hillary Clinton wrote NBC News president Steve Capus, “Nothing justifies the kind of debasing language that David Shuster used and no temporary suspension or half-hearted apology is sufficient.”
No one denies that Shuster’s verb choice leaves something to be desired, but indefinite suspension seems sufficient to say the least, especially considering that that Chelsea has been "pimped out" before. After all, how many teenagers do you know who held the hands of both parents on leisurely walks to a presidential helicopter following an investigation into their father's infidelity?
For the past week, Bill Clinton has been getting more media coverage than every other presidential hopeful except for his wife and Barack Obama.
You know what this means Team Change We Can Believe In: Michelle, it’s time to step up your game.
[Chart]
REALITY IS CALLING, EDWARDS FINALLY PICKS UP THE PHONE The son of a mill worker won't be president any time soon. John Edwards has acknowledged the unpopularity of white males and dropped out of the race. He has not endorsed a candidate, but we're betting he'll go with Barack Obama as a bitch-slap to the Clintons. [AP]
CNN fan favorite personality Jeanne Moos wrapped up a tidy package on Monday's video of Bill Clinton falling asleep at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony, revisiting other leaders who've dozed in front of cameras. And sleeping puppies!
The New York Post is pleased to bring you their latest video score: President Bill Clinton catching a nap – ahem, a "dream" – at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony. Watch as the Obama campaign weighs whether to use this to show Hillary doesn't deserve the black vote.
Last night we were heading to Queens. Usually, en route to that borough, we think about all the national cuisines we could eat and how weird everything is, but sometimes our thoughts turn to politics.
And we were thinking about John Kerry endorsing Barack Obama, and we were thinking it’s not so awesome. CONTINUED »
THE CLINTONS ARE INTERESTING Tina Brown is writing a biography on the Clintons. Awesome, because we were just thinking we don't know anything about those two. [AP]
PROFITS FOR PRESIDENT Did Magic Johnson's business relationship with Ron Burkle cause his support for a presidential candidate to swap from Barack to Hillary? Official spokespeople say NO; common sense says YES. [HP]
Let’s take a trip in the way back machine, when George Stephanopoulos was a political consultant, not an ABC correspondent, when weathering marital infidelity was a big deal, not just a sign of character.
Back then, Gennifer Flowers threw a wrench into the 1992 campaign with her whole 12-year affair with Bill Clinton thing. Since then, the Clinton marriage has gotten more “professional” and America has moved on.
Sadly, political catastrophes never really die, they just stop being interviewed. An enterprising reporter over at the A.P. looked up G. Flows, and found she’s both still alive and even considering voting for Hillary:
If John Edwards wants to be the new Bill Clinton, he’s got some learning to do. See back in 1992, when MTV and underwear preference mattered, Bill Clinton dealt with and overcame his own National Enquirer drama over his relations with Gennifer Flowers.
But John Edwards is running on a two Americas campaign, not a two women one. Since his National Enquirer scandal broke in October, he has denied allegations that he had an affair with his video web producer Rielle Hunter. The Enquirer has not followed up on the story, which is the tabloid equivalent of admitting defeat.
Ok, so Edwards didn’t cheat on his wife. But he still hasn’t gotten the support of Oprah or Barbra Streisand, so sadly his fidelity remains irrelevant.
Ted Kennedy may not have been as popular or successful as his big brothers John and Bobby, but he did grow up with them. And that alone is worth a cha-ching book deal.
The Massachusetts Senator received an advance of more than $8 million from Grand Central Publishing to write an autobiography. That’s just behind Tony Blair, who bankrolled $9 million for his memoirs and Bill Clinton, who got $10 million.
But considering the public’s unquenchable interest in Camelot and its general apathy toward the Israel-Palestine conflict, Ted Kennedy got robbed.
Ron Burkle, BFF of Hill and Bill, is set to acquire AMI, which owns Shape, Star, the National Enquirer and Men's Fitness. GQ’s advice to the editors there: stay out of the Clintons' way. [WWD]
Former Prime Minister of Britain Tony Blair has reportedly received something in the neighborhood of a $9 million advance from Random House on his upcoming memoirs.
That astounding figure places the polished Englishman just above former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, who received $8.5 million for his bathtub inspired tome, and just beneath his old friend William Jefferson Clinton, who received $10 million (or, roughly, $1 million for each 100 pages) and will likely help to ease the pain of seeing a long, brilliant legacy irreparably tarnished by an ill-advised alliance with President George W. Bush.
Judging by the lagging book sales of the latest Clinton bio ("For Love Of Politics") the American people are growing tired of reading about the Clintons. But are they tired of voting them into the Oval Office? Hard to say! At this point, all that's clear is most – but not all! – avid Clinton aficionados' interest waned somewhere around the publication of the 39th or 40th book, or the 900th page of Bill Clinton's "My Life." (That, and Hillary Clinton's crazyeyes totally clash with her perky red pants-suit.)
Meanwhile, John McCain would have picked up the last few books on his arch-nemesis but he was rather tied up at the time (i.e. otherwise engaged in politely slamming his top political rival while reminding everyone of his venerable war service).
Wedding crashers, take heed! Anyone thinking of slipping into the upcoming Davison/Fox nuptials in D.C. will have to get past secret service first, owing to the fact that Chelsea Clinton (and her somewhat more famous parental units) will be in attendance.
THE anticipated presence of Chelsea Clinton and her parents at an Oct. 27 wedding in Washington, D.C., has the planners in a tizzy. Chelsea's childhood best friend, Nicole Davison, is marrying hedge-fund analyst Michael Fox. Chelsea, the maid of honor, will be there with her parents. Guests are being warned not to bother Bill and Hillary Clinton. When the ex-president hosted the couple's engagement party at his Chappaqua home, some guests were told to be on their "best behavior" and avoid talking to the family about inappropriate topics.
And, judging by the tone of this Page Six item, those calculating Clintons are already doing everything they can to avoid detracting attention from the bride and groom having to fraternize with the general public. Meanwhile, though they won't be able to have their pictures taken with the dynamic duo, fellow guests can still look forward to hearing Hillary's awkward, high-pitched fake laugh at all the appropriate moments in the wedding speeches.
Editorial Director
