Vanity Fair on the Clinton-Gore Rivalry (Clinton vs Gore book excerpt)

New York Times ^ | October 1, 2007, | Patrick Healy

[tlb]

There are more catty details than newsy disclosures in the new Vanity Fair piece about the rivalry between the Clintons and the Gores: Hillary apparently came to treat Tipper shabbily, Al apparently was driven around the bend by Billary during the 2000 race, the Clintons were (not apparently — definitely!) obsessed with money, et cetra.

The latest V.F. piece, “White House Civil War,” is an excerpt from Sally Bedell Smith’s new book, “For Love of Politics — Bill and Hillary Clinton: The White House Years.”

A friend of the Clintons’ noted in a journal that Mrs. Clinton “once said with some bitterness, ‘Gore gets credit because he’s a Washington insider and can play the game. Gore is not ‘from someplace called Arkansas.’”

Mrs. Clinton’s Senate race, the author contends, was largely for the benefit of the couple and their marriage rather than in the interests of, say, the people of New York. From the story:

Madeleine Albright told a friend she was “impressed that Clinton was eager for Hillary to win the Senate race to recompense her for all she had to put up with and also a way for him to get back into campaigning.”

White House resources and events were diverted to benefit Mrs. Clinton, not Mr. Gore, during the 2000 race.

But by then Hillary had privately frozen out Tipper, who had given her steadfast support during the Lewinsky ordeal. Hillary never made clear her reasons for the snub, which became apparent once she started running for the Senate. Tipper was reported to be stunned, believing she had been cast aside because she was no longer useful.

[tlb]

7 pages, far too long to try to summarize here but an interesting story of White House backstabbing. VF is pushing the sympathetic Gore storyline.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/11/clinton200711?currentPage=1

[Darkwolf377]

A friend of the Clintons’ noted in a journal that Mrs. Clinton “once said with some bitterness, ‘Gore gets credit because he’s a Washington insider and can play the game. Gore is not ‘from someplace called Arkansas.’”

Madeleine Albright told a friend she was “impressed that Clinton was eager for Hillary to win the Senate race to recompense her for all she had to put up with and also a way for him to get back into campaigning.”

Wow, those are a couple of explosive revelations, huh? What's VF's next hard-hitting cover story about, "The Automotive--Soon, most Americans will drive one"?

[Thebaddog]

I’m wondering who on earth will be able to be their vice presidential candidate. Bill, do you have a suggestion?

[Former Proud Canadian]

Tipper was reported to be stunned, believing she had been cast aside because she was no longer useful.

Tipper must be a complete fool.