Hillary watch

Human Events, May 19, 2003

Hill Mocks Rudy. Hillary isn't the only one coming out with a "tell-all" memoir. Clinton hatchet-man Sidney Blumenthal has written The Clinton Wars, detailing his years advising President Clinton and the then-First Lady. The New York Daily News got an advance copy and revealed that Hillary "suggested that the personal life of one-time opponent Rudy Giuliani was better suited for the stage at Lincoln Center than the floor of the Senate." According to Blumenthal, Hillary noted that Giuliani's withdrawal from the 2000 New York Senate race, caused by the public airing of his split with his wife, his romance with Judith Nathan, and his battle with cancer, was definitely suitable for an opera aficionado like Rudy. Quipped Hill, "Now I know why he likes opera."

HRC on ABC? The Drudge Report recently revealed that ABC News star Diane Sawyer has emerged as the frontrunner to secure Sen. Clinton's first real TV interview since 2000, for her book Living History. Miss Sawyer has been the beneficiary of questionable tactics by CBS and "60 Minutes," which was once thought to have the inside track to interviewing Hillary. However, questions were raised about the "60 Minutes" employment of her husband, and additional concerns were raised about holding the interview at CBS, which is owned by Viacom, which also owns Simon & Schuster, which is Hillary's publisher. ABC's usual interview queen, Barbara Walters was reportedly not even considered for the exclusive because of her 1999 Monica Lewinsky interview, and NEC's Katie Couric is seen as too friendly and sympathetic to Hillary to offer any credible interview.

Not A Lady of the People. U.S. News & World Report's "Washington Whispers" reports that Sen. Clinton recently attended a rollout of General Motors' "hydrogen-fueled prototype." However, unlike other lawmakers, she declined an invitation to drive the minivan, which seemed odd to "Whispers," since she willingly passed up "some enviro-correct exposure." But as GM Vice-Pesident Beth Lowery later explained, Hillary begged off taking a test drive because "it's been at least seven years since she last drove and this wasn't the time to start."

More Book News. First Lady Clinton won a Grammy in 1996 for her audiotape reading of "It Takes a Village." Seven years later, insiders say that Hillary has a shot at another Grammy. Word is that Sen. Clinton has secretly been recording a "breathy" audiobook version of "Living History." AudioFile's Robin Whitten says that Hill's recording is "going to be a very powerful and intimate listening experience," and that she has "a good chance of winning another one." Meanwhile, Amazon spokesman Bill Curry says that Hillary's memoirs, which aren't even due out until June 9, have already reached No. 116 on the Amazon bestseller list. Currry noted that Living History isn't doing as well as Harry Potter, "but it's darn good."

Exploiting Hillary. The Republican Presidential Task Force has recently sent out thousands of letters using the specter of President Hillary to raise money. "Are you ready for a new Clinton era in Washington?" the letter begins. "It could happen. But only if you let it." The GOP letter was written by Task Force chairman and Hillary's Senate freshman colleague, Sen. George Allen of Virginia. Sen. Allen says in the letter that his group is launching "a new mission: To stop Hillary." The fundraising appeal goes on to say that if "Republicans don't take immediate steps to counter her, Sen. Hillary Clinton will continue to rise unimpeded to the very pinnacle of power in Washington and we will see the dawning of a new, more liberal Clinton era." The letter is three pages long and focuses on her meteoric rise in the Senate, maintaining that she has become her party's "top fund-raiser, their top ideologue, their leading voice in opposition to President Bush." Hillary's spokesman says that "While their attention is flattering, Sen. Clinton will continue working with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get things done for New York and America."

Airport Security. On Monday May 12, Hillary wrote a letter to Adm. James M. Loy, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, calling on the TSA to reconsider its decision to no longer require law enforcement personnel at each airport security checkpoint. Sen. Clinton wrote that she is "very concerned about such a proposed change" and requested an explanation from the TSA regarding the disproportionate cuts announced by the TSA to the airport screening workforce across New York State.