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Bill Clinton Assails Vanity Fair's Purdum After Tough Story
June 02, 2008 7:14 PM
Vanity Fair national editor Todd Purdum, the former New York Times White House correspondent, was subjected to some tough words from the man he used to cover today, prompted by Purdum's latest story in VF, "The Comeback Id," which takes a critical look at Clinton's post-presidency.
Former President Bill Clinton told the Huffington Post's Mayhill Fowler that Purdum was "sleazy" and "a really dishonest reporter. And one of our guys talked to him . . . And I haven't read [the article]. There's just five or six blatant lies in there. But he's a real slimy guy."
Purdum writes of Clinton's "cavernous narcissism," looks at "the motley crew that constitutes some of the post-presidential rat pack" (gazillionaires Ron Burkle and Steve Bing), and says that "among the not-so-small cadre of Clinton friends and former aides, concern about the company the boss keeps is persistent, palpable, and pained. No former president of the United States has ever traveled with such a fast crowd, and most 61-year-old American men of Clinton’s generation don’t, either. 'I just think those guys are radioactive,' one former aide to Clinton who is still in occasional affectionate touch with him told me recently, referring to Burkle and (to a lesser extent) Bing. 'I stay far away from them.'"
The former president's monologue made it clear that he saw Purdum's story as part of a Vast Left Wing Conspiracy co-run by the media and the Barack Obama campaign to take down his wife.
"You know he didn't use a single name, cite a single source in all those things he said.. It's just slimy. It's part of the national media's attempt to nail Hillary for Obama. It's the most biased press coverage in modern history. It's another way of helping Obama. They had all these people standing up in his church cheering, calling Hillary a white racist, and he didn't do anything about it. The first day he said 'Ah, well.' Because that's what they do-- he gets other people to slime her. So then they saw the movie they thought this is a great ad for John McCain -- maybe I oughta quit the church. It's all politics. It's all about the bias of the media for Obama. Don't think anything about it."
"But I'm telling ya, all it's doing is driving her supporters further and further away-- because they know exactly what it is-- this has been the most rigged coverage in modern history-- and the guy ought to be ashamed of himself. But he has no shame."
- jpt
UPDATE: The Huffington Post has posted the audio as well; the reporter did not apparently identify herself as a journalist. Meanwhile, Clinton campaign spox Jay Carson has issued a statement saying,
"President Clinton was understandably upset about an outrageously unfair article, but the language today was inappropriate and he wishes he had not used it."
June 2, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (62)
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See... I sure do hope your right, she will get my support as a Independent Female canidate.
Posted by: Jim | Jun 2, 2008 11:51:15 PM
Sure Bill. Everything is always someone else's fault.
Posted by: feminist50 | Jun 2, 2008 11:15:04 PM
Bill Clinton has become a great disappointment. I liked him a lot and supported him during the impeachment. It is actually sad to see the man today. He seems to imagine enemies everywhere. The most ridiculous assertion though is that this was Obama's fault. This is twisted logic indeed.
Posted by: feminist50 | Jun 2, 2008 11:12:24 PM
After Wright OBAMA WAS RAKED OVER HOT PRESS COALS and his Wyoming victory the next weekend was barely reported.
In depth? Of course there were no indepth articles on Obama that's why people falsely link his opinions to Wright.
BOTH CANDIDATES WERE TESTED BY THE MEDIA.
Posted by: Jess | Jun 2, 2008 11:11:53 PM
What Bill Clinton says is a sign leaving DNC.... Hillary will run as third party.
Posted by: See | Jun 2, 2008 11:05:34 PM
Yeah, and I agree with the poster who asked "where are all the in-depth pieces on the Obamas?" Oh, yeah, right...not fair to look that deep.
Posted by: LonghornMama | Jun 2, 2008 11:01:02 PM
I would like to see national town halls with John McCain speaking directly to Democrats. If Senator McCain can come back to center on the policies that matter to us; namely, the economy (including potentially naming Hillary Clinton to Secretary of Health & Human Services so that we can get universal health care done once and for all), the environment and the war, then electing John McCain is the smartest thing that we can do. Plus, what could be more emblematic of true CHANGE in American politics than to be able to have a candidate listen to people on both sides and put together a bi-partisan slate of must-haves for America.
Posted by: LonghornMama | Jun 2, 2008 10:57:29 PM
Go get 'em, Bill! I like this man more and more everyday.
Posted by: Andrew Austin | Jun 2, 2008 10:33:23 PM
Julia wrote:
...when she bows out, you can be assured that her supporters, (and it numbers over 15 million) will not vote for Senator Obama.
________________________
So, let me get this straight, 15 million people are going to vote FOR a pathetic-if-best health care system, an INCREASE of troops to Iraq (all of which McCain proposes), and another stogy conservative on the bench because of the media?
Posted by: sledd | Jun 2, 2008 10:25:30 PM
You go Bill. The Clinton's aren't taking anymore crap after tomorrow.
McCain/Clinton '08
Posted by: granny | Jun 2, 2008 10:22:39 PM
why attack senator obama,this article is about bill clinton's possible being unfaithful to his wife and his mental state.
Posted by: ron | Jun 2, 2008 10:14:25 PM
Who cares? I'm voting for McCain in the general so Hillary can try again in 4 years!
Posted by: c u l t | Jun 2, 2008 10:02:30 PM
Hey Millie,
Not so poor a choice. The only rational choice.
Posted by: Rob | Jun 2, 2008 9:55:38 PM
Hey, my vote goes for Hillary...no way I will vote for Obama. In the end McCain will get my vote...poor choice I know, but better than a man I do not know.
Posted by: Millie | Jun 2, 2008 9:46:34 PM
Hey, my vote goes for Hillary...no way I will vote for Obama. In the end McCain will get my vote...poor choice I know, but better than a man I do not know.
Posted by: Millie | Jun 2, 2008 9:46:34 PM
Isn't "Liberal Pride" an oxymoron?
Posted by: Rob | Jun 2, 2008 9:28:15 PM
Thanks, Bob. My definition disappeared, however. Helloooo, Mr.Ms. Moderator. Why do you leave all of the mud-slinging toward Michelle Obama on here but remove a harmless, if off-topic, nod toward liberal pride?
Posted by: Glenna | Jun 2, 2008 9:15:25 PM
OK, I read a post on here claiming that McCain and Clinton are moderates and Obama is a liberal - and making liberal sound like devil worship so I go off and write some indignant reply, only to post it and find that the other post had disappeared. Oops, I'm really not a raving lunatic, but I AM a bleeding-heart liberal and proud of it! =)
Posted by: Glenna | Jun 2, 2008 9:09:18 PM
The journalist from vanity fair is right wing man. Republican really want this primary over as Obama supporters want, because they cannot wait to trash husein obama.
Posted by: OMG | Jun 2, 2008 9:09:11 PM
He's absolutely right. Had this been happening to Obama, we'd hear cries of racism etc from his camp. But it happened to her primarily because "journalists" inserted themselves into this campaign and took a side and simply made this about Senator Obama. That said, when she bows out, you can be assured that her supporters, (and it numbers over 15 million) will not vote for Senator Obama.
Posted by: Julia | Jun 2, 2008 9:07:05 PM
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