Posted on 09/26/2006 7:54:06 AM PDT by Howlin
Former US President Bill Clinton has hit out at the media's treatment of his affair with Monica Lewinsky in a BBC television interview.
Some snippets:
Speaking on a Panorama programme to be broadcast on Tuesday night, Mr Clinton accused the press of helping the far- right and liking "to hurt people".
He said the media cared more about the affair than the conflict in Bosnia.
Mr Clinton reacted after presenter David Dimbleby asked him why he had an affair with Ms Lewinsky when he knew he was under investigation by special prosecutor Kenneth Starr for other matters.
Wagging his finger and getting visibly agitated, Mr Clinton expressed anger at the media's behaviour.
He said: "Let me just say this. One of the reasons he [Kenneth Starr] got away with it is because people like you only ask me the questions.
"You gave him a complete free ride. Any abuse they wanted to do. They indicted all these little people from Arkansas, what did you care about them, they're not famous, who cares that their life was trampled. Who cares that their children are humiliated.
"Nobody in your line of work cared a rip about that at the time. Why, because he was helping their story.
People like you always help the far-right, because you like to hurt people, and you like to talk about how bad people are and all their personal failings
"And that's why people like you always help the far-right, because you like to hurt people, and you like to talk about how bad people are and all their personal failings.
"Look, you made a decision to allocate your time in a certain way, you should take responsibility for that, you should say 'yes, I care much more about this than whether the Bosnian people were saved, and whether he brought a million home from Kosovo'."
Bump!
Again with the wagging finger? This guy not only vies for worst President title but he's trying to oust Carter as the worst ex-president.
Good memory .. I forgot he flipped out on that guy
And who couldn't keep his pants on in the first place?
Bump for Ol' Slick's antics................
I guess Clinton chooses to ignore the fact that they were all convicted!
I'm telling you .. he is a psychopath
What I cared about was that a sitting President LIED, UNDER OATH, to EVERYONE.
I heard somebody on Fox say that Clinton was interviewed 50 times last week and not one of the reporters asked him about bin Laden, except Wallace.
I can see why; they get blasted if they ask him anything off the subject.
Even one of the MSNBC talking heads said that ALL the reporters knew "this side" of Clinton, but just didn't report it; I can't remember his name -- it's the one who has cancer.
Yeah Bill, who cares that they were all crooks like you.
Yep.
Very.
Jonathan Alter?
Good find bumperootus!
Good reminder, this was yet another example of the "feigned indignation" Dick Morris wrote about today that Clinton uses from time to time to try to reframe the debate or distract attention from the substance at hand.
David Dimbleby is a solid left-liberal and no friend of U.S. conservatives, as one would expect from a BBC journalist.
And neither is Chris Wallace (Mike Wallace's son!) a right-wing attack dog.
In both cases, Clinton was looking for an opportunity to make his preconceived talking points in an intended "outraged" and "indignant" manner to try to seize the moral high ground of victimhood.
A careful observer notices the tailoring when one considers how ludicrous is the suggestion that Dimbleby is representative of how the media gave Ken Starr a free ride (what a fantastic lie - Starr was slimed like no special prosecutor ever was), and how ridiculous the idea that Chris Wallace is a right wing attack dog. Clinton took his opportunities when he found them, and the circumstances in each interview did not quite fit how Clinton painted them, but he made the best of the opportunities.
Does Clinton's feigned indignation have the desired effect?
The Right saw through him long ago, and the Left is naturally cheered by his attack on FoxNews. The question is what effect it has on that sliver of ignorant people in the middle who make the difference in close elections, and it is difficult to say at this point what effect, if any, his tirade will have. Net net, it probably has a reinforcing effect in the minds of the ignorant the idea that FoxNews is a partisan hatchet operation, giving top Rats cover to continue to try to marginalize the network by refusing to appear on it and thereby lend it credibility.
He just CAN'T stay out of the news! He craves publicity even more than Jesse Jackson!
The finger pointing is the 'tell'.
When he's pointing his finger, he is lying.
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