Up until now I haven't mentioned Ed Klein's new biography of Hillary Clinton. Mainly because I have been busy, but mostly because only one book written about the Clintons hasn't annoyed me by the end of the first chapter. I have tried a couple of them and really one chapter is all that's necessary - why continue to read the entire book when it's a repetition of the - Hillary is a real bitch - meme.

To date - Buzz Patterson's Dereliction of Duty is the only one with completely sourced material. This was his account of serving as a military aide to President Clinton. It's not hyperbole, it's not innuendo, it's his story as he saw it.

Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the new book by Ed Klein The Truth About Hillary. For a few days people were outraged, and rightly so, about the smear being perpetrated with this book. Then Dick Durbin opened his mouth and Ed Klein has all but disappeared from the blogosphere.

But yesterday and today Sissy Willis has been talking about it. Not only does she makes some very valid points, but she brought something to mind that I had thought about the other day and never got around to blogging.

Conservatives were justifiably angry when unsubstantiated gossip and innuendo were used to try and smear George Bush during the election cycle. Why should a smear against Hillary Clinton be any different? I know that the old adage "do unto others" makes people roll their eyes, but it is appropriate here.

Sissy sums it up rather neatly:

Even so, the bottom line for "girls" on both side of the aisle seems to be that while the the book may "energize the bases" left and right, it won't change any minds and could even help Hillary in the long run.

Decent people don't like smear campaigns because they ensure the true issues are forgotten in the zeal to use the salacious gossip. In the end many people forget the important details like Hillary's stance on health care, social security, etc and vote against "the gossip". When it comes to politics - I prefer sticking to the issues... how do they stand on issues I think are important to the country? The manner in which Bill and Hillary choose to live (or not live) together isn't going to change how Hillary would want to run things as President.

I'm not sure about other talk radio hosts, but I have heard a little of Rush Limbaugh on this book. It is very little, and while I don't know if he's directly plugging the book - he is plugging a conspiracy type of outlook.

"I think this backlash is being created by the press," Limbaugh told his radio audience, adding, "Do you not find it curious that the press is not curious about [Klein's] allegations?"

Well, there may be conspiracy at every turn - on the left and the right. Black souls may be lurking around every corner waiting to take advantage... But to me, the issues are the important things. Where a candidate stands, this includes their past political standings - which are fair game. Everything else is beside the point.

Posted by: Teresa in Books at 06:51 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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