The Truth About Hillary
Encyclopedia
The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President is a political biography
about Hillary Clinton, the Democratic senator from New York
, written by Edward Klein
, the former editor of The New York Times Magazine
.
The 336-page book (ISBN 1-59523-006-8) was released by Sentinel HC
, a conservative
imprint of Penguin Group (USA), on June 21, 2005.
due to the way it discusses various issues concerning Hillary Clinton's behavior, personality, sexuality, the nature of her marriage
to Bill Clinton
, and her intentions for the future.
The author's sources were questioned by the media
immediately after the release of the book. According to the Associated Press
, an examination of the book conducted by Media Matters for America
concluded that "Klein's Attack Book is Poorly Researched, Poorly Written, Poorly-Sourced". The progressive
media watchdog organization goes on to state that the author "recycles long-debunked claims about the Clintons" and "relies on anonymous sources for much that isn't recycled—more than 70 footnotes refer to unnamed sources", and that the book has a "reliance on 'convenient rather than complete evidence.'"
Prior to the release of the book, internet personality Matt Drudge
claimed that "the revelations in [the book] should sink Hillary's candidacy for 2008". However another commentator, Joe Conason
, wrote that "citizens hoping to discover anything new about the famous junior Senator from New York shouldn’t waste their time or money on his unoriginal and unreliable rant".
Hillary Clinton's press secretary stated that "This is a book full of blatant and vicious fabrications contrived by someone who writes trash for cash".
To that end, Kathryn Jean Lopez
of National Review
asked Klein, "Why on earth would you put such a terrible story in your book...that looks to be flimsily sourced at that?" regarding his suggestion that Chelsea Clinton
was conceived in an act of marital rape
. Columnist John Podhoretz
of The New York Post stated that the book is "one of the most sordid volumes I've ever waded through". According to Alicia Colon of the New York Sun
, "Mr. Klein’s title led me to believe that his book would be pointing out these little hypocrisies, but instead he grovels below the belt — delving into the Clintons’ sex life, which is none of our business. ".
With the critical response to the book being so overwhelmingly negative, some commentators on the right have speculated that the book was intentionally written as a political device to indirectly boost support for a possible 2008 presidential run by Hillary Clinton. Proponents of this theory include former Ronald Reagan
speechwriter Peggy Noonan
and talk-show host Rush Limbaugh
. Noonan, who also wrote a book critical of Hillary Clinton, states on the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal that Klein "assumes the market is conservative and conservatives are stupid. They're not, actually. They want solid sourcing and new information that is true", concluding that this book only serves to "inoculate [Hillary Clinton] against future and legitimate criticism and revelations".
Some commentators on the left feel that the nearly unanimous condemnation of The Truth About Hillary by the right may also be a well-coordinated political maneuver. Indeed, Keelin McDonel states in the left-leaning political journal The New Republic
that "conservatives are launching a preemptive strike on what Klein identifies as one of Clinton's central mantra
s: 'victimhood can be a political plus.'"
Although most of the allegations published in the book have been made before, the book also includes claims about Clinton from identified and anonymous sources that had not been made prior to the publication. Some of these claims deal with her husband's relationships with other women, her relationship with her husband, and her own personality, integrity, sexuality, fidelity, self-image, and personal hygiene.
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
about Hillary Clinton, the Democratic senator from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, written by Edward Klein
Edward Klein
Edward Klein is a bestselling nonfiction author who has written about the Kennedys and Hillary Clinton.Klein is the former foreign editor of Newsweek and former editor in chief of The New York Times Magazine. He frequently contributes to Vanity Fair and Parade; he has a weekly column in Parade...
, the former editor of The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
.
The 336-page book (ISBN 1-59523-006-8) was released by Sentinel HC
Sentinel HC
Sentinel was established in 2003 as a dedicated conservative imprint within Penguin Group . It publishes a wide variety of right-of-center books on subjects like politics, history, public policy, culture, religion and international relations...
, a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
imprint of Penguin Group (USA), on June 21, 2005.
Before release
The book was considered controversialControversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of opinion. The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus , hence, "to turn...
due to the way it discusses various issues concerning Hillary Clinton's behavior, personality, sexuality, the nature of her marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
to Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, and her intentions for the future.
The author's sources were questioned by the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
immediately after the release of the book. According to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, an examination of the book conducted by Media Matters for America
Media Matters for America
Media Matters for America is a politically progressive media watchdog group which says it is "dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media." Set up as a 501 non-profit organization, MMfA was founded in 2004 by journalist and...
concluded that "Klein's Attack Book is Poorly Researched, Poorly Written, Poorly-Sourced". The progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
media watchdog organization goes on to state that the author "recycles long-debunked claims about the Clintons" and "relies on anonymous sources for much that isn't recycled—more than 70 footnotes refer to unnamed sources", and that the book has a "reliance on 'convenient rather than complete evidence.'"
Prior to the release of the book, internet personality Matt Drudge
Matt Drudge
Matthew Nathan Drudge is the American creator and editor of the Drudge Report, a news aggregation website. Drudge is self-described as being conservative and populist. Drudge has also authored a book and hosted a radio show and a television show.-Early years:Matthew Drudge was raised in Takoma...
claimed that "the revelations in [the book] should sink Hillary's candidacy for 2008". However another commentator, Joe Conason
Joe Conason
Joe Conason is an American journalist, author and political commentator. He writes a column for the weekly New York Observer newspaper, for Salon.com and has written a number of books, including Big Lies , which addresses what he says are myths spread about liberals by conservatives.-Life and...
, wrote that "citizens hoping to discover anything new about the famous junior Senator from New York shouldn’t waste their time or money on his unoriginal and unreliable rant".
Hillary Clinton's press secretary stated that "This is a book full of blatant and vicious fabrications contrived by someone who writes trash for cash".
Criticism from conservatives
As would be expected, people sympathetic to Hillary Clinton condemned the claims contained in the book, as did various liberal commentators and journalists. More surprising, however, were the large number of conservative publications and journalists who also criticized the book.To that end, Kathryn Jean Lopez
Kathryn Jean Lopez
Kathryn Jean Lopez, is an American conservative columnist who is nationally syndicated by the United Feature Syndicate.She is also the editor of National Review Online...
of National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
asked Klein, "Why on earth would you put such a terrible story in your book...that looks to be flimsily sourced at that?" regarding his suggestion that Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Victoria Clinton is a television journalist, currently serving as Special Correspondent for NBC News, and philanthropist, working through the Clinton Global Initiative. She is the only child of former U.S...
was conceived in an act of marital rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. Columnist John Podhoretz
John Podhoretz
John Podhoretz is an American neoconservative columnist for the New York Post, the editor of Commentary magazine, the author of several books on politics, and a former presidential speechwriter.-Life and career:...
of The New York Post stated that the book is "one of the most sordid volumes I've ever waded through". According to Alicia Colon of the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
, "Mr. Klein’s title led me to believe that his book would be pointing out these little hypocrisies, but instead he grovels below the belt — delving into the Clintons’ sex life, which is none of our business. ".
With the critical response to the book being so overwhelmingly negative, some commentators on the right have speculated that the book was intentionally written as a political device to indirectly boost support for a possible 2008 presidential run by Hillary Clinton. Proponents of this theory include former Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
speechwriter Peggy Noonan
Peggy Noonan
Peggy Noonan is an American author of seven books on politics, religion, and culture and a weekly columnist for The Wall Street Journal...
and talk-show host Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
. Noonan, who also wrote a book critical of Hillary Clinton, states on the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal that Klein "assumes the market is conservative and conservatives are stupid. They're not, actually. They want solid sourcing and new information that is true", concluding that this book only serves to "inoculate [Hillary Clinton] against future and legitimate criticism and revelations".
Some commentators on the left feel that the nearly unanimous condemnation of The Truth About Hillary by the right may also be a well-coordinated political maneuver. Indeed, Keelin McDonel states in the left-leaning political journal The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
that "conservatives are launching a preemptive strike on what Klein identifies as one of Clinton's central mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
s: 'victimhood can be a political plus.'"
Summary
The stated purpose of the author in writing the book was to expose what he believes to be the "true nature" of Hillary Clinton. Klein suggests that the pattern of deceit and manipulation uncovered by his research supports his theory of the contrast between Clinton's public and private life. The overall thrust of the book is that Clinton is and has been interested solely in her political success ever since she was a college student; Klein suggests that Clinton lacked marital affection for Bill beyond using her marriage to him as a means of rising through American politics.Although most of the allegations published in the book have been made before, the book also includes claims about Clinton from identified and anonymous sources that had not been made prior to the publication. Some of these claims deal with her husband's relationships with other women, her relationship with her husband, and her own personality, integrity, sexuality, fidelity, self-image, and personal hygiene.
External links
- The Penguin Group entry
- Myrna Blyth review, June 22, 2005
- "Klein nailed on falsehoods in Al Franken Show grilling" (With audio interview with Klein on the lies in his book The Truth About Hillary) Media Matters for AmericaMedia Matters for AmericaMedia Matters for America is a politically progressive media watchdog group which says it is "dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media." Set up as a 501 non-profit organization, MMfA was founded in 2004 by journalist and...
- Sydney Morning Herald review June 22, 2005
- Hillary Biographer Crude Propagandist, David Martin, July 14, 2005.