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Oral history: The Monica Lewinsky scandal ten years on
TimesOnline ^ | 15 Jan 2008 | Damian Whitworth

Posted on 01/14/2008 10:58:21 AM PST by seanmerc

On the evening of Saturday January 17, 1998, the internet gossip merchant Matt Drudge posted a story that opened the most sensational scandal season in the history of the American presidency. He reported that Newsweek magazine had killed a story about President Clinton’s sexual relationship with a former intern. The next day he had her name: Monica Lewinsky.

The mainstream media were slow to catch up, but by the following Tuesday they were reporting that Clinton was being investigated for encouraging others to lie to cover up the affair.

For the next year the story dominated the headlines as Clinton was investigated, impeached and eventually found not guilty of high crimes and misdemeanours in a Senate trial.

Ten years on we know what happened to Bill Clinton. He is campaigning tirelessly for his wife as she seeks to win the second Clinton presidency. It is a curious twist of fate, and an indication of how deep were the repercussions of the scandal, that her campaign might not be happening if it weren’t for Monica Lewinsky.

For it was in the wake of the scandal, in which Hillary was seen as the wronged wife, that she decided to run for the Senate from New York. Her shamed husband, anxious to try to make things up to her, eagerly threw his weight behind the move. A wave of sympathy helped to sweep her to victory. As soon as she was elected, talk began about her running for president.

But what of the other dramatis personae from that sorry saga? Newt Gingrich, the Republican Speaker of the House, resigned when voters expressed their disapproval at the impeachment drive. Two years later, though, scandal fatigue severely complicated Al Gore’s presidential campaign.

(Excerpt) Read more at women.timesonline.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: clintonlegacy; clintons2008; impeachedpresident; nothirdterm
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1 posted on 01/14/2008 10:58:23 AM PST by seanmerc
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To: seanmerc

They just had to use oral and Lewinsky in the title, didn’t they?


2 posted on 01/14/2008 10:59:23 AM PST by OB1kNOb (Support Duncan Hunter for the 2008 GOP presidential nominee. He is THE true conservative candidate.)
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To: seanmerc

3 posted on 01/14/2008 10:59:40 AM PST by seanmerc
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To: seanmerc

And we’re still stuck with this clown... I can’t count the times I thought “This time he’s done!”

Sigh....


4 posted on 01/14/2008 11:00:59 AM PST by Tijeras_Slim
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To: seanmerc

The scandal is that the idiot republicans took an investigation of treason, bribery, extortion and the pervasiveness of Chinese money in D.C. and let Bill’N’Hill turn it into a story about a sleazy fat broad.

The Senate, pockets stuffed with Chinese bribes, sold out the nation.

But at least Ken Red Starr got 112 mil in Chinese cash for his law firm.


5 posted on 01/14/2008 11:01:21 AM PST by the gillman@blacklagoon.com (And close the damned borders!)
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To: seanmerc
"He reported that Newsweek magazine had killed a story about President Clinton’s sexual relationship with a former intern.."

Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday...

I think it was probably the next morning when I was making the bed that I heard something on the radio about, "President Clinton...intern,...oral sex..." Well, that caught my attention.

Ten years later I'm still smiling.

6 posted on 01/14/2008 11:02:12 AM PST by billorites (freepo ergo sum)
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To: OB1kNOb
They just had to use oral and Lewinsky in the title, didn’t they?

You wouldn't have swallowed it if they hadn't

7 posted on 01/14/2008 11:02:50 AM PST by tx_eggman ("Believing without loving turns the best of creeds into a weapon of oppression" Eugene Peterson)
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To: seanmerc
internet gossip merchant Matt Drudge posted a story that opened the most sensational scandal season in the history of the American presidency

and in so doing he diverted the building attention to the bullet hole in Commerce Secretary Ron Brown's head, and from an assortment of criminal acts commented by the 42nd President of the United States.

ML/NJ

8 posted on 01/14/2008 11:03:04 AM PST by ml/nj
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To: seanmerc
He reported that Newsweek magazine had killed a story about President Clinton’s sexual relationship with a former intern. The next day he had her name: Monica Lewinsky.

The mainstream media were slow to catch up,

Imagine that. The media was "slow" to catch up on the forged national guard memos story too and is dragging their heels on reporting good news from Iraq.

It is a partisan press. Newsweek HAD the story and supressed it.

9 posted on 01/14/2008 11:03:10 AM PST by weegee (Those who surrender personal liberty to lower global temperatures will receive neither.)
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To: seanmerc

That girl off to the right always gets my attention. She looks JUST LIKE the grinch.


10 posted on 01/14/2008 11:03:52 AM PST by NCLaw441
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To: seanmerc

11 posted on 01/14/2008 11:03:53 AM PST by mnehring
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To: the gillman@blacklagoon.com

The Monica Lewsinsky aspect of the Paula Jones lawsuit showed the way the Clinton damage control team operated.

They paid Monica to lie under oath. They intimidated those who might speak out. They savaged the character of Linda Tripp. And Bill Clinton lied under oath.

If we couldn’t “get” the goods on them in other cases where witnesses lied on the stand or held their tongues (and took jailtime over speaking out), at least we know why.


12 posted on 01/14/2008 11:05:48 AM PST by weegee (Those who surrender personal liberty to lower global temperatures will receive neither.)
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To: seanmerc

Monica would have had a mouthful to say on the subject, but you couldn’t have understood a word of it.


13 posted on 01/14/2008 11:07:03 AM PST by DoughtyOne (< fence >< sound immigration policies >< /weasles >< /RINOs >< /Reagan wannabees that are liberal >)
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To: seanmerc
What a difference 10 years makes:


14 posted on 01/14/2008 11:08:15 AM PST by quark
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To: seanmerc
For it was in the wake of the scandal, in which Hillary was seen as the wronged wife, that she decided to run for the Senate from New York.

Horseexcrement.

Hillary wasn't "wronged". Bill had engaged in such activity numerous times in their marriage and with numerous women in the White House.

Theirs appears to be an open marriage. She wasn't upset he "cheated", she was upset he got caught and derailed their co-presidency.

15 posted on 01/14/2008 11:08:20 AM PST by weegee (Those who surrender personal liberty to lower global temperatures will receive neither.)
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To: seanmerc

“the internet gossip merchant Matt Drudge”

Gads... could they have used another way of describing Matt? I mean, thank goodness they didn’t use the term “sleaze merchant Matt Drudge”... I don’t think Matt is a gossiper at all... now Perez Hilton, well, that’s another story...


16 posted on 01/14/2008 11:08:27 AM PST by SilvieWaldorfMD (Hard lesson learned in the 1980's: "Never perm and dye your hair at the same time")
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To: seanmerc

IIRC, the Whitehouse war Team had decided to release the Monica Lewinsky info to lead the public away from Who the Clinton’s were really screwing. (you and me)

So, they leaked it to Drudge.

During this caucus, I noticed that Drudge has had several more ‘exclusives’, which apparently came directly from the HRC staff.

The Lewinsky scandal made Drudge popular (money) is now a trusted source for some conservatives/Republicans.

But it wasn’t the real scandal, it was the camoflauge.

Now, when I see DRUDGE ALERT, I think HRC staff feeding notes to someone on Drudges staff.


17 posted on 01/14/2008 11:10:49 AM PST by UCANSEE2 (Just saying what 'they' won't.)
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To: seanmerc

Wayback machine...

http://web.archive.org/web/20000303114128/www.drudgereport.com/ml.htm


18 posted on 01/14/2008 11:11:37 AM PST by HereInTheHeartland ("We have to drain the swamp" George Bush, September 2001)
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To: NCLaw441
That girl off to the right always gets my attention.

Same here. She gives me the impression that she's envious of the attention Monica's getting.

19 posted on 01/14/2008 11:12:59 AM PST by Prince Caspian (Don't ask if it's risky... Ask if the reward is worth the risk)
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To: seanmerc
She (Kathleen Willey) goes as far as to call Hillary Clinton “evil” for what she believes was her role in trying to destroy the credibility of the women who claimed sexual relationships with her husband. “A lot of women out there are voting for the first time and are excited about voting for a woman. This country is certainly ready to be run by a woman. Just not this woman.”

BUMP!

20 posted on 01/14/2008 11:15:34 AM PST by weegee (Those who surrender personal liberty to lower global temperatures will receive neither.)
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