Clinton's "enemies list" (This is good)

[bluestateguy]

Bill Clinton just doesn't know when to hold his tongue.

Shortly after his inauguration in 1993, the former president arranged to have monthly discussions with longtime friend and author Taylor Branch recorded for posterity, keeping the tapes in his sock drawer. Branch's book, The Clinton Tapes, comes out next week and some tidbits, from Clinton comparing Al Gore to Mussolini to a drunk Boris Yeltsin sneaking out of the White House for pizza, have been making headlines.

But what comes across most clearly from the book is Clinton's complete lack of self-censorship, especially when it comes to the two subjects that consumed and enraged him: the media and the scandals that dogged his two administrations. Almost every chapter of the 668-page book is marked by the president's increasing frustration and anger at the press, including the New York Times, the Washington Post and CNN, for putting a negative spin on every revelation from Travelgate to the Asian donor scandal. "Clinton said the scandal machine had taken a lot of the joy out of being president," Branch writes.


more

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/25/the-clintons-enemies-list_n_300331.html

[Libertas1776]

1. How long before this Taylor Branch guy

is added to the Clinton "enemy list?"

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Thanks Senator for confirmiing what I believed for years

Alan Simpson
Clinton recounted that he once pulled aside the senior Republican senator to ask him whether he really believed that the president had done something terrible in Whitewater. Simpson's response: "Oh, hell no. But our goal is to make people think you did, so we can pay you Democrats back for Iran-contra."


Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/25/the-clintons-enemies-list_n_300331.html

By the way, Iran Contra is far more serious than White Water... Iran Contra involves war crimes.

Have I said today how much I hate Republicans? (Channeling my inner malloy)

[DireStrike]

11. That also confirms that at least clinton knows repubs are irredeemably vindictive assholes

You know, as opposed to the competing theory that establishment democrats have some fairy-tale view that if they're just nice enough, eventually the opposition will come around.

The implication being that failure to fight an all-out war against people you know to be your enemy... lacks any real explanation. Surely Clinton knew this and spoke with others and word got out. No doubt the senators would have been made aware, if Clinton found this tidbit to be shocking. And if he didn't, that just implies that everyone on the hill knows the score.

The "naive" defense doesn't work. What else is there besides "good cop" or "complicit"?

[aquart]

15. And here I thought it was for impeaching Nixon. I'm so naive.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. When Iran Contra came out

one of my profs said... this will affect the next democratic president, no matter, and ruin their presidency

Quite didn't wreck it. He was an old company man, one of those rare birds a conservative in academe, and also scared of where the GOP was already moving back in 1988.

[denem]

3. Enemy: Osama bin Laden.

(you don't say)

[denem]

4. Enemy: The DLC

(this is getting ridiculous)

[denem]

5. Enemy: George W. Bush

cold, miserable guy.

[denem]

6. Enemy: Jimmy Carter

(he's always liked the guy)

[denem]

7. Enemy: Al Gore

'"Gore's ... long-simmering rage ... (Clinton) had never apologized personally to him about Lewinsky"

[denem]

9. Enemy: NYT, WaPo, WSJ

I mean this is news?

[DURHAM D]

8. Wow - I think Bill's comments were very restrained.

I was expecting to learn something from this book - nothin' so far.

JFTR - Carter has been even more of a problem for Obama. Carter needs to go back home and shut up. He had a failed presidency - get over it.

[denem]

10. Bill I think, is not by nature, a 'Hater'.

Hillary's uncensored reflections would be more interesting by far.

[Maccagirl]

14. I think there are two things about human nature

that Bill Clinton learned very early on.

1- That (in his case at least) "home and family" were the core of his pain-not a safe haven from a troubled world.

2- There's a story he tells about breaking his leg in three places in kindergarten and lying on the ground while the other kids laughed and called him a "crybaby". He didn't really expound on how that affected him, but I feel he probably thought "See, even my friends don't care about me so why bother telling anyone what's really going on at home."

I'm no psychologist but I think that's why he's a "keeper of secrets" and emotionally immature.

[aquart]

16. Carter does not need to shut up.

He says a lot of things I wish he hadn't but that's a whole different thing.

[Toucano]

20. Carter is one of the most respected elder statesman in the world.

The Carter Center's work in fighting poverty and disease and promoting democracy world-wide is unparalleled.



One Jimmy Carter is worth 10 Bill Clintons.

Shame on you for wishing that strong, wise voice were silenced.



Will a successful Obama presidency look like a successful Clinton presidency? Let's hope not.

[DURHAM D]

21. Oh please.

Were you around and paying attention during his presidency? It was embarrassing.

I am pleased he is fighting poverty but he needs to stay the hell out of foreign policy - its not his area of expertise.

[Toucano]

25. The Camp David Accords are the greatest foreign policy achievement in 200 years.

Quite a big accomplishment for someone with no foreign policy expertise, I guess. Noble Peace prizes are just handed out willy nilly.

Clinton seemed to think Carter was a significant enough expert to recruit him for talks with North Korea.

[Autumn]

12. "Bill Clinton just doesn't know when to hold his tongue. "

what an idiot this jerk is. I like it when the Big Dog talks.

[aquart]

17. So do I. But this is just standard spin.

Anything Clinton is read negative.

[Liquorice]

13. He had plenty of reasons to be angry. nt

[aquart]

18. I know I was.

This writer wants to think it's because Bill is petty-minded. Uh, no. It's because they were.

[Beacool]

22. Good for you, Bill!!!!

Maureen Dowd (New York Times)

Clinton said Dowd was so jaundiced that she dumped on Tiger Woods after he won the Masters by 12 strokes. After Woods' regretful decline of a White House invitation, Dowd slammed the golf star for "dissing" the president and then managed to attack Clinton for craving the aura of celebrity athletes. Clinton told Branch that Dowd "must live in mortal fear that there's somebody in the world living a healthy and productive life."

:rofl:

[Beacool]

23. Good for Hillary too!!

Richard Gephardt

The former House Majority Leader neglected to call up Clinton after an important budget speech and refused to take the president's call when Clinton sought to explain the reasons for the speech. "Gephardt is an asshole," snapped Hillary. When Clinton pointed out to her that her comment was being taped for posterity, she shrugged with a smile: "Well, he is."

:rofl:


I got to buy this book.

:7

[UTUSN]

24. Heck, I'll Rec this #1 because there ain't nothing unfair or untrue in what CLINTON said!1 n/t