Carl Bernstein on Book TV

[question everything]

I happened to watch him on CSPAN discussing his recent book about Hillary Clinton.

First, he said that he started working on his book way before she was a Presidential candidate, and was thankful to her for telling her friends to freely talk to him. He speculated that by now his sources - fully disclosed - would not be so open.

He remembered how, during the 1996 campaign she was kept in the back, was used in very limited capacity. His conclusion is that the "Newt Revolution" of 1994, that ended decades of Democrats controlling Congress, going back to FDR, was a result of her ambitious health care plan. He also commented how the Republicans were pissed at Bill Clinton who was the first Democrat to be re-elected since FDR. He referred to Carter as the "accidental President" who won thanks to Ford's pardon of Nixon. The Republicans, therefore, have gotten used to the idea that they controlled the White House.

Still, the Clintons did not seek any assistance from the Washington establishment and made too many blunders.

But he mostly talked about her. How she has tended to be associated with radicals or radical issues and then to withdraw. For example, her first job out of law school was with a law firm in Oakland, California. And while she did mention this firm in her book, she never mentioned that the head of the firm was a Communist and that its clients included the Black Panthers.

He also mentioned that she failed the D.C. bar exam and then moved to Arkansas, never bothered to retake it. Thus, when she would tell friends how she had offers for jobs in D.C. - they would not have been real legal ones.

Still, he said, if he would have suggested, back in 1996, that she would be a real candidate to be the President, he would have been asked what he was smoking.

And, he added, the "rumors" that the Clintons had a pact of first he would be President and then it would be her turn is pure nonsense.

Bernstein commented that many people saw how special Bill Clinton was when he was in his teens and his 20s, that he was destined to make a difference in the world, and Hillary saw the same thing. Yet, his sexual appetite would have ruined any career path, so she was the guard to watch over his affairs that they would not ruin him.

He also said how her religion is important to her. That she comes to politics, to public service - that has been important to both of them - from her religious conviction.

Thus, I think that at least on this issue we should not describe her religious conviction as pandering. Apparently, this has always been important to her.

It was a fascinating presentation.

[saracat]

1. I hope this is rerun.I would like to see it.I am not a fan of Hillary but would like to know more

and perhaps be persuaded to change my mind. I used to think she was wonderful. I used to think she would have been a better president than Bill and then I watched her votes and how she aligned herself with outsourcing and the neocons. I could no longer support her. But I would like to be wrong. Right now, I see her as an anathema. Did Bernstein think she was fit to be Prez? Did he mention her neocon friendships?

[question everything]

2. Yes, he did think her fit to be President

however, as he kept saying, he was intrigued by how much we really don't know about the the woman whom we think we know everything.