'Bored Out of Our Skulls' by Clinton Memoir, Goldberg Says
By Marc Morano
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
June 18, 2004
(CNSNews.com) - The release of Bill Clinton's memoir, My Life, exposes the polarization of public opinion on one of the most controversial presidencies in American history.
Clinton is scheduled to kick off his book tour Sunday night in an hour-long interview with CBS's Dan Rather on "60 Minutes," in what some are dubbing the "Summer of Clinton." But conservative critic Lucianne Goldberg is not impressed.
"I think it's more like the three weeks of Clinton. By the time the book comes out, we will know everything that is in there and we will be bored out of our skulls," Goldberg told CNSNews.com.
Goldberg, editor of Internet news forum Lucianne.com, was at the center of the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal that rocked Clinton's presidency and led to his impeachment trial. Goldberg advised former Pentagon worker Linda Tripp to tape Lewinsky's phone conversations regarding her affair with Clinton.
According to Goldberg, Clinton's autobiography and the media publicity surrounding it will have no impact on his place in history.
"People have made up their mind about him. I think they all agree that he is just a horn dog and he's interesting copy," Goldberg said.
But Ellen Ratner, bureau chief for Talk Radio News service, believes Clinton does not need the book to cement his place in history.
"Some of us never felt he needed to be rehabilitated. He made a terrible mistake (with Lewinsky); he has talked very openly about it recently. I think people will be surprised at how little spin and how frank President Clinton is," said the left-leaning Ratner in an interview with CNSNews.com.
On Sunday's upcoming "60 Minutes" program, Clinton says of his affair with Lewinsky, "I think I did something for the worst possible reason -- just because I could. I think that's the most, just about the most morally indefensible reason that anybody could have for doing anything.
"When you do something just because you could ... I've thought about it a lot. And there are lots of more sophisticated explanations, more complicated psychological explanations. But none of them are an excuse ... Only a fool does not look to explain his mistakes," he said.
Ratner commended Clinton for his truth-telling.
"I appreciate the fact that he is so direct and honest. That's what I love about Bill Clinton," she said.
Clinton's book, for which the former president was paid a reported $10-million dollar advance, will be homage to veracity, according to Ratner.
"My prediction is people are going to be surprised at how frank he is," she said.
Goldberg rejected that prediction, pointing to Clinton's assertion to Rather that in order to keep his marriage to Hillary intact, the couple engaged in one full day a week of marital counseling for over a year.
"I don't think he is capable of [being honest.] Any man that tells you that he and his family went to counseling for a full day every week for a year is lying to you. I don't know what counseling facility offers that kind of intensive treatment," said Goldberg
"And when did he do this? When he was in the White House? Why wasn't he chasing al Qaeda?" Goldberg asked.
'Most honest thing'
Goldberg did concede that Clinton was being honest about his admission to CBS's Rather that he had an affair with Lewinsky "because I could."
"I think that is the only and most honest thing I have ever heard Clinton say. I don't think he realized what he is saying with that. We all could murder somebody. We all could rob a bank. We all could drive 120 miles per hour, but we don't do it because our moral system does not permit us to," Goldberg said.
Both Goldberg and Ratner expect big crowds for Clinton as he traverses the country on his upcoming book tour.
"The media pays attention to him and [crowds] will come out like they come out to see a rock star. It doesn't mean they particularly like the music, they just want to see him," Goldberg said.
Ratner said people will flock to book promotion events because of Clinton's rags-to-riches history and because "he's just magnetic."
"He's not like [President] Bush. He did not grow up privileged. He did not grow up having anything," Ratner explained.
Ratner called the timing of Clinton's book, which will coincide with presumed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign, "a win-win" for both individuals.
"Clinton is going to be doing a lot for Kerry, and he's going to be talking about Kerry when he goes out to pitch his book," Ratner said.
Goldberg called the timing of the release of Clinton's memoirs "perfect" for someone who "never wanted to leave [the White House]."
"They had to tear him off the drapes to get him out of there in the first place. This is the perfect timing for somebody who doesn't want to give up his party, who wants to call attention to himself," she added.
'Made for each other'
The fact that Clinton chose to give CBS's Rather the first interview about his book is payback for Rather's loyalty to the former president, according to Goldberg.
"Rather loved Clinton to the very end. With the Monica thing, he was one of the last to finally say 'look there's something wrong here.' It's an absolute perfect match. I think they are made for each other," she said.
Rather, who read an advanced copy of the memoir, recently praised Clinton's nearly 1,000-page book.
"As presidential memoirs go on a five-star scale, I give it five," Rather said earlier this week, according to the New York Observer
Rather has praised Clinton in the past. In 1993 at a CBS affiliates meeting, Rather told Clinton he hoped that the "CBS Evening News" could be a fraction as successful as Clinton's presidency. Rather was announcing a co-anchor partnership with newswoman Connie Chung at the time.
"Mr. President, if we (Rather and Chung) could be one one-hundredth as great as you and Hillary Rodham Clinton have been together in the White House, we'd take it right now and walk away winners," Rather said to the then current president.
My Life will have a first printing of 1.5 million copies and Clinton's national book tour and promotion is scheduled to begin on Tuesday. |
