DEMOCRAT Anthony Weiner is still starring in Jay Leno's monologue.
Brett Favre, Eliot Spitzer, and Bill Clinton are also playing roles.
Jokes from Thursday's Tonight Show:
JAY LENO: It was so hot in Washington, everyone was sitting around in their underwear like Congressman Weiner. He finally felt at home.
Oh man, that story! Oh, please! This is the story that just won't go away. It gets worse and worse. You've probably seen this. It now seems there's a picture going around the Internet of Congressman Weiner's naked penis. And you can tell it's him because it looks just like him, you know? You know, if he was bald. I mean, you can see the resemblance.
Let me tell you how graphic this picture is. Even Brett Favre won't return his calls now. That's how bad... it's terrible.
You know, I mean, I don't understand taking... how many photos of his crotch did he take? You know, I don't have any photos of my crotch. I mean, I've got a couple of oil paintings, some sketches, sure, a couple of charcoals, but I mean, you know, I don't, really... No, it's awful.
See, I don't understand the way Washington works. Now explain this to me: We are not allowed to see bin Laden's death photo because it's too explicit; but our Congressman's penis, that's fine.
Well, the latest news is that Congressman Weiner's wife is pregnant. I'll tell you how creepy this is: When his wife first called to tell him she was pregnant, he said, 'Uh, who is this?'
Well, you know who married Weiner and his wife? Bill Clinton. In fact, Weiner called Bill Clinton and apologized. See that's when you know you have a problem, OK, when your sexual behavior has offended Bill Clinton. That's where you just go, 'OK, time to draw the line.'
Well, more and more people are now calling for Anthony Weiner to resign. But it's not all bad news. Eliot Spitzer said if Weiner does resign, he can join him on his show and they'll call it 'Weiner Spitzer.'
How many people feel he should resign?
(Audience applauds)
How many people feel he's doing a good job and this has nothing to do with his job?
(Little audience applause)
Interesting, interesting.
Now, as I said, Weiner is adamant now about not resigning. In fact, CNN caught up with him today on the streets and they talked to him. Here, take... here's the interview:
(Clip of actual CNN video, followed by video with CNN audio)
I don't want to see that member of Congress, OK? Thank you.
JAY LENO: According to TMZ, the day after First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled the new USDA guide to healthy eating, President Obama was spotted in Ohio eating two chili dogs... That's two politicians this week getting in trouble for their wieners.
What a story this is! Yesterday, Congressman Anthony Weiner, now known of course as the 'peter tweeter,' that's who he is now. Well, he held a big press conference at a hotel in New York City where he admitted to everything. Did you see him standing in front of that microphone? I think it was a microphone.
See, this is why Twitter exists. Members of Congress can now send you pictures of their penises electronically. Remember the old days with Sen. Larry Craig? You had to get in your car, drive to the airport, find the airport bathroom, try to figure out which stall he's in, knock on the door. Now they send it right to your house. It's fantastic!
Well, you know this was gonna happen. A second woman has come forward now, and she says she has over 200 explicit sex text messages from the married congressman. She says they're very short messages, you know, like cocktail wieners. They're the smaller...
Anyway, yesterday, Weiner said he wanted to apologize to his constituents, especially the really hot ones. He feels bad about that. But he said there were six girls in three years, but he never had sex with any of them. Six girls, three years, and no sex -- Do you know what I call that? High school. OK? That was high school. That was high school for me.
And his wife, I guess his beautiful wife, Huma, she's a beautiful woman, if you've seen her. She is an aide for Hillary Clinton. And I guess Hillary called Huma to console her, while Anthony Weiner got a call from Bill going, 'Yeah!!!'
I understand why someone listening to Obama drone on and on would fall asleep; but you'd think Joe Biden, vice president, could manage to stay awake while the president delivers an important, albeit horrible, speech.
Alas, Biden either couldn't or wouldn't remain alert as Obama spoke Wednesday afternoon.
I understand why someone listening to Obama drone on and on would fall asleep; but you'd think Joe Biden, vice president, could manage to stay awake while the president delivers an important, albeit horrible, speech.
Alas, Biden either couldn't or wouldn't remain alert as Obama spoke Wednesday afternoon.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clinton released tax data Friday showing they earned $109 million over the last eight years, an ascent into the uppermost tier of American taxpayers that seemed unimaginable in 2001, when they left the White House with little money and facing millions in legal bills.
The bulk of their wealth has come from speaking and book-writing, which together account for almost $92 million, including a $15 million advance — larger than previously thought — from Mr. Clinton’s 2004 autobiography, “My Life.” The former president’s vigorous lecture schedule, where his speeches command upwards of $250,000, brought in almost $52 million.
During that time, the Clintons paid $33.8 million in federal taxes and claimed deductions for $10.2 million in charitable contributions. The contributions went to a family foundation run by the Clintons that has given away only about half of the money they put into it, and most of that was last year, after Mrs. Clinton declared her candidacy.
Mrs. Clinton’s campaign released the eight years of income tax information late Friday, following a rising clamor on the campaign trail for her to follow the lead of her opponent, Senator Barack Obama, who had previously disclosed his tax returns for the same period. In what proved to be an awkward juxtaposition, the disclosure of the records — which revealed the Clintons to be in the top one-hundredth of 1 percent, or roughly 14,500, of all taxpayers — came on the day that Mrs. Clinton called for the creation of a cabinet-level post to tackle poverty.
In releasing seven years of tax returns, plus a summary of income for last year, the Clinton campaign noted that the couple had disclosed all their income tax records since Mr. Clinton was governor of Arkansas. Neither Mr. Obama, of Illinois, nor Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, has released his 2007 tax-return information, and Mr. McCain has not released tax returns from previous years.
“The Clintons have now made public 30 years of tax returns, a record matched by few people in public service,” said Jay Carson, a campaign spokesman. “None of Hillary Clinton’s presidential opponents have revealed anything close to this amount of personal financial information.”
Mr. Obama’s tax returns show that he and his wife, Michelle, reported about $1 million in income in 2006, much of it from his book deals. Mr. McCain’s wife, Cindy, an heiress to a beer distributorship fortune, is believed to be worth tens of millions of dollars, but the exact amount is unclear.
Finally, we get to pour over the Clinton tax returns. What a way to spend a weekend in Spring! What could be more enjoyable?
The returns reveal what I expected. The Clintons have a lot of money.
The Obamas are wealthy and so are the McCains.
What does this information tell us?
The presidential candidates are rich. They're privileged. They're powerful.
Tell me something I don't know.
If there's a lesson to be learned here I guess it's that having tons of money doesn't guarantee that you get what you want.
Let's not pretend that the Democrat Party is one big happy diverse family.
The battle to be the presidential nominee is so bitter.
If it ended tomorrow, that wouldn't undo the damage that's been done.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Former President Clinton is still smarting over New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama.
During a private meeting with California Democrats this past weekend, Clinton grew red-faced as he talked about how he expected Richardson, who was a member of Clinton's Cabinet, to back Hillary Rodham Clinton for the presidential nomination or at least stay neutral, according to several people who attended.
Instead, Richardson endorsed Obama late last month, calling him a "once-in-a-lifetime leader."
"He sort of gets a little redder and redder and redder, but he wasn't off the deep end as I had seen him in the past," said Inola Henry, an uncommitted superdelegate. "It was sort of like, 'Gee, I'm a martyr.' He seemed more hurt than anything."
Clinton used his appearance at the state Democratic Party convention in San Jose to lobby California's 21 uncommitted superdelegates to support his wife.
After posing for a group photograph with the former president, superdelegate Rachel Binah told Clinton she was disappointed that one of his allies, strategist James Carville, had compared Richardson to Judas after he endorsed Obama.
Clinton, according to several people present, distanced himself from Carville's remarks. But he went on to say that he had not expected Richardson to endorse the Illinois senator, especially since the New Mexico governor had invited Clinton to Santa Fe to watch the Super Bowl on Feb. 3.
"He did say he certainly had been led to believe that he was going to get the endorsement," Henry said Wednesday. She was one of about 15 superdelegates — some uncommitted, others backing Clinton — who attended Sunday's meeting with Clinton before he addressed the convention.
Aleita Huguenin, another superdelegate, remembered Clinton saying, "We thought he'd let us know if he did an endorsement." But Huguenin said the comments about Richardson were "a minor blip in the whole meeting."
According superdelegate Chris Stampolis, Clinton said only that Richardson had promised not to endorse Obama, saying, "'He told me to my face five times he would not do that.'"
Binah did not respond to repeated requests for comment, but she previously told The Associated Press she supports Clinton. Other superdelegates interviewed by the AP said it was Binah's statement that prompted Clinton's comments about Richardson's decision.
Pahl Shipley, a spokesman for Richardson, said his boss never promised to endorse Hillary Clinton.
"He never told the president or anybody else, for that matter," Shipley said. "The governor respectfully disagrees with the president."
How angry did Bill Clinton really get?
What shade of red was his face?
Certainly, news of Bill's impassioned remarks, his "eruption," isn't coming from Hillary's campaign.
The telling of this incident provides an opportunity for Barack Obama's campaign to put Bill Clinton in a bad light again.
When Bill's gets mad, voters turn on Hillary and turn to Obama.
So who would want to spread news of Bill Clinton's screed?
I think Richardson is pushing back. He's defending his good name after being deemed a traitor.
Bill Clinton can't seem to handle betrayal. He's used to doing the betraying, not being on the receiving end.
I don't care about accounts of the various psychodramas among the Democrats. Clinton's face turned red. Richardson's a traitor. Whatever.
I care about what it all means for November. I don't think the wounds suffered in the battle for the nomination are superficial ones. The cuts are deep. The fractures are severe.
Will it be possible for the Dems to heal in time to wage a vigorous campaign against John McCain?
I don't know, but I do think the pain and the bad feelings will linger.
For the most part, the divisions among the Dems are about the candidates' personality, race, and gender. There aren't major policy differences between Obama and Hillary. This tight race is a popularity contest, void of significant substance.
The presidential election of 2008 seems to be an endless series of explanations and clarifications and apologies, unrelated to the issues.
One of the campaigns always seems to be in the midst of some sort of lame controversy, requiring some sort of lame explanation, and sometimes a lame apology.
In short, Election 2008 is lame.
The latest offense comes from Bill Clinton.
SALEM, Ore. -- Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign is trying to clarify comments by former President Clinton that seemed to question Barack Obama's patriotism — comments an Obama aide likened to Joseph McCarthy.
Clinton's campaign said the comments were being misinterpreted and quickly posted a clarification on its Web site. But retired Air Force Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak said he was disappointed by the comments and compared them to those of McCarthy, the 1950s communist-hunting senator.
The former president made the comments while speculating about a general election between his wife and Republican John McCain.
"I think it would be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people who loved this country and were devoted to the interest of this country," said Clinton, who was speaking to a group of veterans Friday in Charlotte, N.C. "And people could actually ask themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics."
McPeak, a former chief of staff of the Air Force and currently a co-chair of Obama's presidential campaign, said that sounded like McCarthy.
"I grew up, I was going to college when Joe McCarthy was accusing good Americans of being traitors, so I've had enough of it," McPeak said.
Clinton campaign spokesman Phil Singer rejected the comparison.
"To liken these comments to McCarthyism is absurd," Singer said. He said McPeak was "clearly misinterpreting" the remarks and suggested that might be an intentional effort to divert attention from a recent controversy involving controversial statements by Obama's former pastor.
In a posting on Hillary Rodham Clinton's Web site Friday, the campaign said the former president was simply talking about the need to keep the race focused on issues, "rather than falsely questioning any candidate's patriotism."
This is getting ridiculous.
I don't think Bill's comments questioned Obama's patriotism. He certainly wasn't suggesting that Obama is a traitor.
Good grief. What a stretch!
There's nothing wrong with saying an election should be about issues and ideas.
I think what's happening is that Obama's campaign was able to turn Bill into a liability for Hillary before and it's desperate to repeat that past success.
McPeak is just nuts for likening Bill's remarks to McCarthyism.
We've been following the former president today as he's worked his heart out for his wife here in Texas.
He visited three churches, then held a rally in a Latino neighborhood in Houston, followed by a rally at Texas A&M in College Station.
Three more events to go -- eight total. That's more events than Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., had scheduled. Not just each -- combined.
...At Christian Hope Baptist Church, Pastor Herbert Stroman introduced him, saying, "we are truly honored today to have our first black president." Clinton covered his face with his hand.
"I want you to vote even if you don't vote for her," he told parishioners, "because I don't want you to wake up in November not liking the choice."
At the other two events we attended, which were more traditional political rallies outside any houses of worship, he was far more critical of Obama.
...He also said, "The country is groaning and moaning and screaming for change to turn this country around and get it working again."
Oh, Bill. He's still known in some circles as "our first black president."
Bill, Bill, Bill. When he listens to America he hears groans and moans and screams.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, rejecting entreaties from the Clintons and their supporters, is set to endorse Senator Barack Obama’s presidential bid on Monday as part of an effort to lend Kennedy charisma and connections before the 22-state Feb. 5 showdown for the Democratic nomination.
Both the Clintons and their allies had pressed Mr. Kennedy for weeks to remain neutral in the Democratic race, but Mr. Kennedy had become increasingly disenchanted with the tone of the Clinton campaign, aides said. He and former President Bill Clinton had a heated telephone exchange earlier this month over what Mr. Kennedy considered misleading statements by Mr. Clinton about Mr. Obama, as well as his injection of race into the campaign.
Mr. Kennedy called Mr. Clinton Sunday to tell him of his decision.
The endorsement, which followed a public appeal on Mr. Obama’s behalf by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, was a blow to the Clinton campaign and pits leading members of the nation’s most prominent Democratic families against one another.
Mr. Kennedy, a major figure in party politics for more than 40 years, intends to campaign aggressively for Mr. Obama, beginning with an appearance and rally with him in Washington on Monday. He will be introduced by Ms. Kennedy.
Mr. Kennedy then heads west with Mr. Obama, followed by appearances in the Northeast. Strategists see him bolstering Mr. Obama’s credibility and helping him firm up support from unions and Hispanics, as well as the party base.
...Mr. Kennedy had been seriously considering an endorsement for weeks — a break with his traditional practice of staying clear of primaries.
He remained uncertain of his decision as late as the middle of last week. But, according to allies, when he learned that his niece’s endorsement would appear as an Op-Ed piece in The New York Times on Sunday, he decided to bolster that with his own public embrace of the campaign at a joint rally at American University in Washington on Monday, giving Mr. Obama, of Illinois a potentially powerful one-two Kennedy punch.
As Mr. Obama flew here on Sunday, he smiled when asked about his new wave of support from the Kennedy family.
“For somebody who, I think, has been such an important part of our national imagination and who generally shies away from involvement in day-to-day politics to step out like that is something that I’m very grateful for,” Mr. Obama said of Caroline Kennedy’s support. Ms. Kennedy declined requests on Sunday to discuss her endorsement.
Trying to dilute the impact of the twin endorsements by the brother and daughter of the late president, the Clinton campaign on Sunday issued a statement of support from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a former lieutenant governor in Maryland and a daughter of Robert F. Kennedy.
“I respect Caroline and Teddy’s decision, but I have made a different choice,” Ms. Townsend said in her statement, adding: “At this moment when so much is at stake at home and overseas, I urge our fellow Americans to support Hillary Clinton. That is why my brother Bobby, my sister Kerry, and I are supporting Hillary Clinton.”
But two years ago, Ms. Townsend’s mother, Ethel Kennedy, referred to Mr. Obama in an interview as “our next president” and likened him to her late husband.
Both Hillary and Bill must be fuming right now.
He must be thinking of those days on Martha's Vineyard.
What about that sun-kissed afternoon in 1997, sailing off Cape Cod? Didn't that mean anything?
Now, Teddy has thrown Hillary and Bill overboard the Kennedy family's 52-foot schooner.
Some Kennedys are remaining loyal to the Clintons -- Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and Kerry Kennedy.
The Kennedy clan itself is fractured when it comes to this presidential primary race.
Let's not pretend that the Democrats are united. Clearly, there are divisions and they are taking sides. Things are getting personal and hard feelings will linger.
This must be difficult for the Clintons. Hillary has dealt with plenty of betrayal but that doesn't make it any easier. Rejection is tough, especially for someone like Bill. He doesn't know the meaning of the word "no."
Why has Bill Clinton gone wild and red-faced lately while campaigning for Hillary?
Love.
Love and lack of sleep.
Appearing on CBS News' Face The Nation, Democratic president candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton sought to dispel criticism of her husband for making comments on the campaign trail that some have called inflammatory.
..."My husband has such a great commitment to me and to my campaign. You know, he loves me," she said. "Husbands and wives get out there and work on each others' behalf. I certainly did that for him for many years. And I'm very grateful for all of the help he's given both supporting me, along with our daughter, and making the case for my candidacy.”
Sen. CLINTON: Well, I think it's human nature, Bob. I think that, you know, the spouses of all three of us have, you know, been passionate and vigorous defenders of each of us and, you know, maybe got a little carried away. But you know, that comes with a hard-fought election. It also comes with sleep deprivation, which, you know, I think is marking all of us, our families, our supporters. But, you know, I am very, very proud of my husband's record as a leader in our country going back so many years, and what he's done. And people know his heart. They know, you know, what he has stood for. So I'm really glad that he's there with me.
And I think everybody just needs to take a deep breath. We need to be focusing on what's important in the lives of Americans. That's what I have spent my life trying to do, that's what my campaign is about. That's what I'll be doing for the next 10 days as we travel across the country.
This approach could work for Hillary. It's worked for Bill Clinton before -- the "I'm only human" excuse.
Bill is human. He gets excited and upset, so he reacts out of love for Hillary. And he's so tired, poor thing.
Hillary believes, Bill "has such a great commitment to me."
Obviously, someone so committed could get a little too passionate while defending his wife.
In the past, voters have excused Bill for his transgressions. Can he be forgiven again?
It's really incredible that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is figuring so prominently in the presidential primary elections of 2008.
NEW YORK -- Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested Sunday that BarackObama's campaign had injected racial tension into the presidential contest, saying he had distorted for political gain her comments about Martin Luther King's role in the civil rights movement.
"This is an unfortunate story line the Obama campaign has pushed very successfully," the former first lady said in a spirited appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I don't think this campaign is about gender, and I sure hope it's not about race."
Clinton taped the show before appearances in South Carolina, whose Jan. 26 primary will be the first to include a significant representation of black voters. Blacks were 50 percent of primary voters in the state in 2004 and the number is expected to swell this time.
Both New York Sen. Clinton and her husband, the former president, have engaged in damage control this week after black leaders criticized their comments shortly before the New Hampshire primary last Tuesday.
The senator was quoted as saying King's dream of racial equality was realized only when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while Bill Clinton said Illinois Sen. Obama was telling a "fairy tale" about his opposition to the Iraq war.
Former President Clinton has since appeared on several black radio programs to say he was referring to Obama's record on the Iraq war, not on his effort to become the nation's first black president.
At an awards dinner Sunday in Atlanta celebrating black achievement, Michelle Obama said her husband is the person America needs in the White House right now and was critical of anyone who would "dismiss this moment as an illusion, a fairy tale." He is the right candidate "not because of the color of his skin, but because of the quality and consistency of his character," she said.
As evidence the Obama campaign had pushed the story, Clinton advisers pointed to a memo written by an Obama staffer compiling examples of comments by Clinton and her surrogates that could be construed as racially insensitive. The memo later surfaced on a handful of political Web sites.
Obama later called Clinton's accusations "ludicrous," and said he found Clinton's comments about King to be ill-advised and unfortunate.
"If Senator Clinton wants to be distracted by the sorts of political point-scoring that was evident today then that is going to be her prerogative," Obama said.
Another rival, John Edwards, added his voice to the chorus of criticism of Clinton's comments about King.
"I must say I was troubled recently to see a suggestion that real change that came not through the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King but through a Washington politician. I fundamentally disagree with that," Edwards told more than 200 people gathered at a predominantly black Baptist church in Sumter, S.C.
Again, I find myself in the odd position of coming to Hillary's defense.
She did not diss Martin Luther King and Bill did not mock BarackObama's run for the presidency as a joke.
It makes no sense that the first black president Bill would suddenly be rejected by African-Americans after years and years of support. Were they wrong about him all along? Did he fool them? Are Bill and Hillary really racially insensitive and African-Americans didn't realize it before?
The Clintons don't deserve to be put in the same category as Don Imus.
Actually, it's Obama's campaign that is shamelessly playing the race card. Michelle Obama's comments attest to that. She chastises Hillary's campaigner Bill, making reference to his "fairy tale" comment. Then, she echoes Dr. King's words about people being judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.
I believe the Obama campaign is intentionally misinterpreting the statements made by the Clintons. They're pushing racial buttons. Rather than accepting the Clintons' explanations for their remarks, the Obamas have encouraged the race-baiting. They certainly haven't done anything to defuse the racial tension.
Barack and Michelle Obama and their supporters are exploiting race to score political points, just as last week Hillary exploited her gender to rally women to her side.
Are these games really what Dem voters want from their candidates?
Why not demand that candidates focus on the real issues facing the nation instead of engaging in finger-pointing and making silly accusations?
This is such a bizarre primary season.
After Iowa, Obama's coronation went into high gear. After New Hampshire, comeback kid Hillary surprised pollsters and political observers and knocked Obama out. Now, Obama's putting on the pressure again, using his race to help establish himself as the frontrunner.
A president shouldn't be chosen on the basis of gender or race. It's the individual's qualities and abilities and positions on issues that matter.
Forty years after Dr. King's death, it seems his dream is still a dream.
People still aren't defined by the content of their character. Race still matters. It's still used to divide Americans.
It's disgusting that Dems, the ones claiming to be champions of minorities and women, are relying on race and gender to divide and conquer, to achieve political goals.
The Democrat presidential candidates are NOT uniters.
"The reason she ought to be president, over and above her vision and her plans is that she has proven in every position she has ever had in life, whether it was in elected office or not, that she is a world-class genius in making positive changes in other people's lives."
I think the humorous ad was released today to smooth some of Hillary's sharp edges and dull her shrillness a bit before tonight's debate.
The campaign no doubt wants the public to focus on the fun-loving Hillary, a woman willing to laugh at herself. When people watch the debate tonight, perhaps they'll think of the ad, the softer, down to earth side of Hillary.
The real message of the ad isn't to instruct Iowans how to participate in a caucus. The real message is Hillary is not a bitch.
She's self-deprecating and funny.
Sure she is.
Another thing about the ad--
Bill chomping on the burger reminds me of David Hasselhoff eating off the floor.
On February 26, 1993, a car bomb was detonated in the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center, Tower One. Six people were killed and at least 1,042 were wounded as a result of the explosion.
The mainstream media bought into the Clinton administration's line that the attack was the work of Islamic terrorists.
Of course, Islamic terrorists weren't behind the bombing.
It was an inside job.
Bill Clinton knew about it. So did Hillary. In fact, it was her idea. She was concerned that Bill was elected president without receiving a majority of the vote. She thought it was necessary to spread fear in order to get the country behind them.
I think Clinton should have been impeached for his lies. Oh, that's right. He was impeached; but not for his lies about 2/26.
Have you ever seen the bumper sticker, "2/26 was an inside job"?
I HAVEN'T EITHER.
But I have seen the "9/11 was an inside job" model.
It makes me positively sick. Last week, I saw one slapped on a car in a parking lot at a Menard's.
We stopped in at the store just minutes before closing. It wasn't long after we entered that the announcement was made that the store would be closing in five minutes. Customers were instructed to bring their merchandise to the check out lanes.
It was after we left the store that I saw the bumper sticker. The parking lot was practically deserted so it was very easy to spot.
It really made me angry. Part of me wanted to wait to see what kind of lowlife would get into that car. We didn't. We just drove away.
I was thinking about what type of person is willing to broadcast, via a car's bumper, that he or she believes that the horrific 9/11 attacks, the deaths of thousands of innocents, was carried out by the U.S. government.
It has to be an absolute loon.
Say what you will about Clinton's detractors, I don't believe they ever became so deranged that they organized a 2/26 Truth Movement, one that included professors teaching at some of the nation's most prestigious universities.
Even Clinton himself angrily spoke out against 9/11 Truthers who were interrupting him at a speech. He wouldn't tolerate the suggestion that the government plotted and slaughtered thousands of its citizens.
Clinton’s 50-minute speech, which started about an hour behind schedule, was derailed briefly by several hecklers in the audience who shouted that the 2001 terrorist attacks were a fraud. Rather than ignoring them, Clinton seemed to relish a direct confrontation.
“A fraud? No, it wasn’t a fraud,” Clinton said, as the crowd cheered him on. “I’ll be glad to talk to you if you shut up and let me talk.”
When another heckler shouted that the attacks were an “inside job,” Clinton took even greater umbrage.
“An inside job? How dare you. How dare you. It was not an inside job,” Clinton said. “You guys have got to be careful, you’re going to give Minnesota a bad reputation.”
I don't believe that 2/26 was an inside job.
The notion is unfathomable to me.
I disagree with the Clintons on many, many issues. But there is no way that I believe Bill or Hillary or anyone in the Clinton administration would have staged a terrorist attack intended to kill tens of thousands of people.
I don't get how people can believe that President Bush and his administration orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.
I don't get how they can even entertain the possibility that it was an inside job.
I can't stand seeing those bumper stickers. I really can't.
Rule number one when campaigning at a diner: always leave a good tip -- and, apparently, make sure it gets properly 'disbursed'.
In early October, Sen. Hillary Clinton's 'Middle Class Express' made a pit stop at the Maid Rite diner in Marshalltown, Iowa.
The New York senator, joined by local political luminaries Christie Vilsack and Ruth Harkin, enjoyed a famous loose meat sandwich and attempted to hand caucus cards to the Iowans inside.
Clinton also spoke to one of the diner's waitresses, Anita Esterday. It was her first day on the job and she and Clinton shared a short exchange. Esterday, who has three jobs and works 12 hour shifts, said to Clinton "both of my sons have worked since they were 14 years old"; Clinton told her, "I'm proud of you."
But, according to Esterday, that's where Clinton's gratitude ended as the campaign crew left with nary a gratuity for any of the hard working Maid-Riters.
"I mean, nobody got left a tip that day," Esterday said in an interview with NPR after a visit by Senator Clinton.
UPDATE: The Clinton campaign contacted ABC News to assert that they did, contrary to Esterday's claim to NPR, pay $157 for food at Maid-Rite and left a $100 tip to be split among the staff.
Sensing the story was reaching the tipping point, ABC News' Eloise Harper contacted Brad Crawford, manager of Maid-Rite caught in the political mixer, who said the senator's staff did pay a tip but "it might have not been disbursed properly."
Ah, yes. Disbursing that tip money can be a touchy issue. NPR has more on the Hillary camp's explanation.
Hillary Clinton's campaign contacted NPR to say that the campaign paid Maid-Rite a bill for $157 the day of Clinton's visit and left $100 in tip money. NPR contacted Maid-Rite manager Brad Crawford, who confirmed that a bill was paid and tip money was left. Crawford, who was not in the restaurant at the time, said that he believes a campaign staffer left the money with one of his employees, but "where Hillary was sitting, there was no tip left."
I wonder WHEN the bill really was paid and WHEN the $100 tip was left. You'd think that Esterday would have been aware of the payment if it had happened at the time of Clinton's visit.
This sort of disregard for working people is a pattern with the Clintons.
We all know that Bill's been stiffing people for years.
I'm reminded of an incident when Bill was in Italy back in 2005.
WHEN the owner of one of Rome's most fashionable restaurants received a booking from Bill Clinton and his entourage, he was happy to clear the tables and order in his best food and wine.
But Romeo Caraccio was left furious after the former president of the United States and his party failed to show up without bothering to cancel their reservation.
Now the owner of the Michelin-starred Agata e Romeo restaurant is considering claiming compensation for lost takings after the high-profile no-show.
The restaurant, which is popular with visiting celebrities, had been called by one of the former president's staff requesting a table for 18. The delighted owner cleared away a corner of his dining room and ordered in more than £1,000 worth of extra food and wine for his VIP guest and entourage.
However, an hour after the 1:30pm reservation there was still no sign of Mr Clinton, who was in Rome as part of a week-long visit promoting links between Africa and Europe.
Yesterday, a waiter at the restaurant said: "We had a call from one of his security team making the reservation and then a visit to check out the place.
"It was all confirmed and the boss even ordered in more food and wine - he spent an extra £1,000, but he [Clinton] never turned up.
"The boss was furious as he didn't even have the decency to cancel. When he called the security guard to find out what was happening he said 'change of plan' and just put the phone down."
..."We were expecting Mr Clinton, but he never arrived and he didn't even cancel his reservation."
Last night, a US embassy spokeswoman in Rome confirmed that the booking had been made, but said it was not a matter for the embassy.
"I can confirm that Mr Clinton was due to eat at the restaurant.
"However, he had to pull out and was not able to attend. I don't know why; he is a private citizen," the spokesman said.
"We are also aware that the owner is very upset and is looking for compensation, but there is nothing we can do about that."
As I said, it's a pattern with the Clintons.
It's as if they believe people should consider themselves to be adequately compensated just because they had a brush with them.
The Hillary "loose meat" story is significant beyond the tip issue.
The waitress is ticked off that Hillary referred to her in a speech.
"I wished I would have been asked first," the waitress, Anita Esterday, said of Clinton's decision to insert her in a speech. "I wish she would have asked if she could talk about me later. I didn't like it when someone called me up and said Hillary Clinton is talking about you. It's like, what'd I do now? What's she saying?"
When I returned to the Maid-Rite a few weeks later, Esterday said the senator had caught her off guard. But once they got talking, she was honest with Clinton about her need to work two to three jobs.
"I've been doing it all my life. Why should it change now that I'm old," Esterday said.
Esterday does not think Clinton got it. "I don't think she understood at all what I was saying," Esterday said. "I mean, nobody got left a tip that day."
...The visit hurt Esterday in another way. The local paper ran photos of her with Clinton. She said her supervisor at the nursing home isn't a big Hillary Clinton fan and she thinks that may be related to why her hours were almost totally cut.
Now, Esterday is looking for a different second job. However, she said she's not upset that Clinton visited the restaurant.
"I got my 15 minutes of fame out of the world," Esterday said. "There you go. I got her autograph. That's something I'll treasure forever."
But as far as the attention she's received? "It hasn't helped me. It's made things worse."
Will Hillary blame "the all-boys club of presidential politics" for her latest mess?
She should. It's because she's a woman. This is all because she's not a man.
Gerald Ford was disturbed by Bill Clinton's skirt-chasing ways - and thought he should check into a sex addiction clinic.
A new book on the late 38th President reveals he had strong views about the Clintons: He thought Hillary wore the pants and that Bill couldn't keep his zipped.
"He's sick - he's got an addiction. He needs treatment," Ford told Daily News Washington Bureau Chief Thomas M. DeFrank, author of "Write It When I'm Gone: Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford."
Ford's wife, Betty, who founded a pioneering treatment center after her battle with alcoholism and drugs, agreed.
"You know, there's treatment for that kind of addiction," she told DeFrank during the same conversation in 1999. "A lot of men have gone through the treatment with a lot of success. But he won't do it, because he's in denial."
... He believed Clinton was charismatic, articulate, a "helluva salesman" and the best politician he'd ever seen - even better than John F. Kennedy.
But he considered Clinton a foreign-policy wimp, and sensed that he hadn't learned from mistakes in his personal life - allegations of womanizing that dogged him during the campaign for the White House.
That opinion was based on behavior Ford witnessed the weekend he hosted the Clintons in Colorado.
"I'll tell you one thing: He didn't miss one good-looking skirt at any of the social occasions," Ford said later.
"He's got a wandering eye, I'll tell you that. Betty had the same impression; he isn't very subtle about his interest."
In addition to discussing Bill's sex addict issues, Ford talked about Hillary's future.
"Hillary is gonna be on the ticket in '04 or '08, one or the other, you can write that down," he said in 2002.
Yet he didn't think she would win - "I don't think the country is ready for a lady President,"
Some questions--
Is Ford still the wise man he was deemed to be by the Left when he expressed some disagreement with Bush's Iraq policy?
Are these latest proclamations from Ford as newsworthy as the Iraq stuff?
No doubt Ford's statements will be dismissed by the libs as the ramblings of an old man.
All the news that's fit to print advance the liberal agenda.
I think this is an interesting question:
Is having a sex addict for a spouse detrimental to a presidential candidate?
When I saw this Associated Press headline, I didn't realize it was about Bill Clinton's gifts to Hillary. I thought it was about the many gifts he's given during his many romances, to all the girls he's loved before.
I thought it was a list of Bill's favorite gifts to his favorite women, not just those he gave to his wife.
For example:
During their final White House meeting on Dec. 28, President Clinton gave Monica S. Lewinsky more than a half-dozen "going-away" presents, including an Alaskan stone carving and a decorative pin....
Throughout their 18-month relationship, Mr. Clinton and Ms. Lewinsky exchanged numerous gifts. He gave her a T-shirt, the poetry book (Whitman's Leaves of Grass), a brooch, a hat pin and a stuffed animal. She gave him six ties and several books, including the novel Vox by Nicholson Baker.
That's not at all what this AP story is about.
It's about the romantic gifts that Bill gave to Hillary.
She gushes, "Oh he's so romantic."
Yes, we know.
Hillary Rodham Clinton says husband Bill often brings her romantic gifts: a giant wooden giraffe from an African trip, for example, and a Chanel watch that reminded him of teeth.
"Oh he's so romantic," the former first lady said in an interview for the November issue of Essence magazine. "He's always bringing me back things from his trips."
The watch had a bracelet made of white cubes. "I had dental surgery, and he said it reminded him of teeth," she said.
The New York senator, now a presidential candidate, said she is satisfied with the decisions she has made in her marriage.
"Now obviously we've had challenges as everybody in the world knows," she said. "But I never doubted that it was a marriage worth investing in even in the midst of those challenges, and I'm really happy that I made that decision."
Right. There's nothing more romantic then getting a bracelet that looks like teeth and conjures up images of dental surgery.
Very romantic.
Referring to Bill's affair with Monica Lewinsky, and no doubt all his other dalliances:
While sticking it out might not be for everyone, Mrs. Clinton said women should support each other in the choices they make in their marriages.
"I think it's so important for women to stand up for the right of women to make a decision that is best for them," she said.
Of course, a couple needs to decide how to handle their relationship.
A woman should have the right to determine whether she wants to try to work things out when her spouse has betrayed her or get out. I don't question that.
We're human. We make mistakes. We forgive, maybe.
However, in presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's case, there's another angle to consider.
It's not how she chose to deal with her marital difficulties that matters to me. That is personal.
What concerns me is how and why she made her personal story public in her book Living History, as well as in interviews and on other occasions.
Hillary Rodham Clinton's eagerly awaited memoir, "Living History" -- for which she received an $8 million book deal -- goes on sale next week.
But for now, the Associated Press has obtained a copy of the 562-page book and reveals what everyone wants to know: What the U.S. Senator from New York, 55, has to say about her husband Bill's extramarital relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. It is not a pretty picture.
"The most difficult decisions I have made in my life were to stay married to Bill and to run for the Senate from New York," she writes, revealing that he lied to her about the relationship until the weekend before he admitted the affair to a grand jury.
Up until then, Hillary had believed -- and stated publicly -- that the Lewinsky scandal was part of a right-wing conspiracy to do in her husband and his administration.
But on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 15, 1998, the president (whom she describes as ashamed) woke her up, paced at the bedside and "told me for the first time that the situation was much more serious than he had previously acknowledged. ... He now realized he would have to testify that there had been an inappropriate intimacy. He told me that what happened between them had been brief and sporadic," AP reports.
Her reaction to hearing the news: "I could hardly breathe. Gulping for air, I started crying and yelling at him, 'What do you mean? What are you saying? Why did you lie to me?' I was furious and getting more so by the second. He just stood there saying over and over again, 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was trying to protect you and Chelsea.'"
She goes on to write, "I was dumbfounded, heartbroken and outraged that I'd believed him at all." She reportedly describes the president's eyes as filling with tears when she told him he would have to confess to their teenage daughter as well.
In the end, she writes, she decided that she still loved her husband, although "as a wife, I wanted to wring Bill's neck." Time and his help during her senatorial campaign ultimately bridged the marital schism between them, she adds.
Can you imagine this guy in the role of spouse of the President of the United States?
Can you picture him gracefully waltzing through the White House with reporters as he takes them on a tour, showing off the Christmas (Oops! I meant to say "holiday.") decorations?
If Bill Clinton takes on that role, he will be the angriest "first spouse" since Hillary played the part.
In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Bill was seething when talking about the Republicans and MoveOn.org's "General Betray Us" ad. I expected Bill to become green, rip through his clothes, and transform into the Incredible Hulk.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think that there was something completely disingenuous about the feigned outrage of the Republicans in the White House and in the Congress about this. This was classic bait-and-switch.
ANDERSON COOPER: "Focused on that as opposed to focusing on what’s really happening?"
(CROSSTALK)
CLINTON: Oh yeah. That’s right. I don’t have to deal with Iraq. I don’t have to tell anybody what I’m going to do. Everything we do in Iraq is obviously right because they said this about Petraeus, as if it were the only issue in the wide world. Come on, these Republicans that are all upset about Petraeus - this is one newspaper ad. These are the people that ran a television ad in Georgia with Max Cleland, who lost half his body in Vietnam – in the same ad, with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. That’s what the Republicans did. And the person that [sic] rode to the Senate on that ad was there voting to condemn the Democrats over the Petraeus ad. I mean, these are the people that funded the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth. And the President appointed one of the principal funders of the Swift Boat ads to be an ambassador. But they’re really upset about Petraeus. But it was ok to question John Kerry’s patriotism on the blatantly dishonest claims by people that [sic] didn’t what they were talking about. So, it was just bait-and-switch. It was just, ‘Oh, thank goodness! I can take this little word here, and ignore what we’ve done in Iraq, and what we’re going to do, and the outrageous way we gained political power by smearing John Kerry.'
The anger that fuels Bill, Hillary, and the Clinton machine is palpable. It's as ugly as ugly gets.
The thought of Hillary as president and Bill roaming around the White House again is the stuff of nightmares.
