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TOPIC: "The Clinton Machines Lives -- And Matures" (The Atlantic 1/13/10)
Sanders


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"The Clinton Machines Lives -- And Matures" (The Atlantic 1/13/10)
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Another voice speaks up for the Clintons.

The Atlantic

"

Jan 13 2010, 8:10 am by Marc Ambinder

The Clinton Machines Lives -- And Matures

On Tuesday, Ben Smith, a long-time Clinton chronicler at Politico, fronted a clever story heralding the demise of the Clinton political machine, which has remained virtually silent since a passel of unflattering revelations leaked out this weekend about the revelations in "Game Change."

Smith observed that many senior Clinton advisers were probably sources for the authors and couldn't very well be asked to respond to characterizations they themselves made. This, he concludes, was a violation of the ultimate Clinton world taboo: "These people have violated the Clinton world's final taboo: After savaging one another in the press for more than a year, the former aides finally turned on the principals."

Not denied were thinly sourced reports that Bill Clinton had an extramarital affair in 2007 (half a sentence in the book), or that Clinton offended Ted Kennedy by ridiculing Obama, or that Hillary Clinton had encouraged campaign aides to play up Obama's early-in-life drug use.

Maybe the Clintons don't need defending. (Emphasis added)

Silence does not necessarily equate to an acknowledgment of accuracy -- and un-rebutted charges, in this instance, might not mean, ultimately, that the Clinton machine is dead, but rather, that it has matured into the new role. (Emphasis added)

One year ago, in fact, the Clinton rapid-response political operation decided to shut down. There have been five major books since then, including a blockbuster by historian Taylor Branch. The Clinton world has uttered nary a peep. It's also worth noting that neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton participated in interviews with the books' authors.  (Emphasis added)

Hillary Clinton is the secretary of State. She is no longer in the political swamp. And she is comporting herself as a diplomat, not a politician. Obama has long since forgiven her. They have a very solid working relationship. (Emphasis added)

Chapters written about the Clintons rely heavily on two sources. One of them, former strategist Mark Penn, has acknowledged talking to the reporters. The other, Patti Solis Doyle, has refused to comment. (The authors relied on reporting by The Atlantic's Joshua Green, who was the first to disclose that Penn had polled for Clinton in 2004 and that Hillaryland had created a war room within a war room to deal with President Clinton.)  (Emphasis added)

The ability to fight back exists. Cheryl Mills, a Clinton insider, is now Clinton's chief of staff at the Department of State. Philippe Reines is a senior adviser there. They were at the tip of the spear when the Clinton machine kicked into operation for previous books, including Ed Klein's 2007 tome "The Truth About Hillary." Bill Clinton's Harlem office remains intact with the same players, including Matt McKenna, his spokesman, and Doug Band, his counselor. They're not shrinking violets. In this case, they've chosen not to respond. Why drag the Clintons into the book's 15 minutes of fame? The only result would be more publicity for the authors and more distractions for both Clintons. (Emphasis added)

By the way: it is in some ways a testament to both of their relationships with President Obama that the Clintons have not litigated the book's allegations in the press. Hillary's working relationship with President Obama is solid and effective after a year. If the White House, or President Obama, were worried about the Clinton revelations, trust me, the circumstances would be different.

Who's the U.N. envoy to Haiti? Former President Clinton. Will his office spend time coordinating his efforts? Or would their time be better spent responding to a paraphrase of a comment said to someone who is now deceased?

The book alleges that Ted Kennedy took President Clinton's comments -- that Barack Obama would have been getting them coffee five years ago -- as a supreme insult, and insinuated that Kennedy believed it had racial implications.

There is something especially tawdry and even dangerous about debating something a dead man heard or said. It's disrespectful. And distracting.

Those Clinton loyalists who remain -- and there are plenty -- disagree with the premise of the book, which is that Hillary Clinton mismanaged her candidacy. They believe that the campaign did not live up to the candidate. Those who believed that Clinton herself was fundamentally flawed -- and one assumes that Ms. Solis Doyle is among those -- are not longer part of the inner circle.

For the record, here's what Halperin and Heilemann told Don Imus about the passage in question.

[snip]

More . . .

"



-- Edited by Sanders on Wednesday 13th of January 2010 03:35:36 PM

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freespirit


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This is an excellent article, and helps restore some faith in the decency of people. The authors of the book must have truly been out of material if they believed the reported and alleged thoughts of a now dead man were worth reporting- even if they did try to pass them off as fact. How absurd that statement is.

For Ben Smith to try to spin this book as anything other than a tabloid - a piece of trash, reflects how unreliable he is. I hope he loses readership - big time. The authors should have known better than to publish something like this when the facts cannot be verified. They both have excellent skills - for jobs at the national Inquirer. Maybe they can get Ben a job there, as well.

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Sanders


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LOL. Yes, that book would certainly qualify them to be named tabloid journalists.

And, yes, this is a fantastic article and shows how Clintons have changed the game themselves.  Game on!!  And the game is now true leadership and integrity.   Hillary will come out of this assignment with a stellar record of accomplishments.  She is going to redefine what it will take to run for the oval office.


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Democracy needs defending - SOS Hillary Clinton, Sept 8, 2010
Democracy is more than just elections - SOS Hillary Clinton, Oct 28, 2010

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Jen the Michigander


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And right now, both Hillary and Bill have their hands full with the crisis in Haiti. They would look silly if they wasted their energies on a book that nobody is going to remember six months from now. The Clintons have more important work to do.

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Hillarysmygirl16


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Besides she has us to relay on as her rapid responders. We are not connected with her so she doesn't violate any laws.  It is our job as Clintonistas to respond.  I am going to start saying Clintonistas about all Hillary supporters not just the PUMAS.  I think that we are all well trained.

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Building 4112


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"Obama has forgiven her.".................for what?

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Hillarysmygirl16


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Building 4112 wrote:

"Obama has forgiven her.".................for what?



 That's what I thought lol.  I wonder if Hillary and Bill have forgiven the dummy for calling them racist.  It looks like it was Teddy who started that rumor after all.  Not surprising though the Kennedys are jealous of the Clintons



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freespirit


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Building 4112 wrote:

"Obama has forgiven her.".................for what?


AYFKM!? "For what" is right.  I guess he has forgiven her for running for president, and beating him.  I haven't forgiven him, or any of the other dirty dog Dems who stabbed us all in the back, and then tried to run us over with that Obama bus.

Jen, you are absolutely right.  they can't defend the lies from that book, now, with a crisis to manage.  And, if they did take the time to respond, MSM would report something awful about them. 

 



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It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.... Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.  ~Susan B. Anthony
Jen the Michigander


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If comments at blogs and news sites are any indication, it doesn't look as if too many people (other than obots) are taking that book seriously anyhow.

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