Buckley: Who wrote Hillary's book?

Townhall.com ^ | 6-2-03 | William F. Buckley

[cgk]

Who wrote Hillary's book?
William F. Buckley (archive)

June 2, 2003 | Print | Send

There is a swirl of controversy having to do with writing, with credit for writing, and with disclosure about who writes what and under what circumstances.

One critic on television deems it outrageous that Hillary Clinton has been paid $8 million to write a book which she did in fact not write. It appears to be everywhere accepted that she didn't, one day, sit down and start reading the 5 million pages of news clips, election returns, campaign speeches, editorials, columns, journals, trip itineraries, and personal letters that somebody or some team has at least had to skim in order to put together the life of Hillary that people hope to read. A defensive book editor who commented on the controversy on the Jim Lehrer program said that in weighing the question of book writing, a lot of people never get around to asking the question: Is everybody capable of writing a book? The answer is clearly no, no more than of removing an appendix. What everybody does believe is that he/she, exceptions, can write a book, an illusion that any editor at a publishing house will attest, groaning after returning the one-millionth unsolicited manuscript.

What the critics are saying, really, is that for $8 million you ought to put in a lot of pain. Well, Hillary has certainly done that. For one thing, she had to read the book. She is a very clear and learned lady and is very discriminating, save possibly when at the wedding altar. She is trained to write legal briefs and by all accounts does them well. And in the manuscript assembled for her, she had to run her eyes over four or five times as much material as has finally been collated to form the book that will appear in the stores. And of course it is entirely conceivable that here and there she wished to add a paragraph or two in her own hand. And absolutely predictable that here and there she applied a blue pencil to scratch out in her own hand a paragraph or two she does not wish to see published.

Pride is not forfeit when public figures get others to do the crafting and the writing of a book. At the journalist level a cognate question arose when the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Rick Bragg left the New York Times after a flurry having to do with whose names appeared on an article he filed. Bragg takes more or less the position that the freelancer or stringer does not reasonably expect to have his name appear on a story written by a reporter. The case was moderately complicated in this situation because the stringer supplied color which the readers interpreted as having reflected the reaction of the man whose story they were reading. If you write, "On hearing this the witness paled and her eyes looked pleadingly at her attorney," you are going to think that the reporter's own eye transcribed the witness's face.

The case is difficult to make, who-all gets credit. The stream of commentators discussing the Bragg story for some reason (those I read or saw or heard) neglected to make the contextual point that up until about 30 years ago, nobody got bylines in New York Times news stories. The governing idea was: Here is a story produced by the New York Times. It involves the writer of it, researchers who added to it, fact-checkers who came in on it, stringers who supplied relevant material: but all that you, the reader, get is the imprimatur of the New York Times.

That was how it was, and anonymity was pretty general. Time magazine didn't give the names of the writers of its stories. The Economist still does not do so. But professional movement is hard over in the opposite direction. . . . Written by Tom Jones. Research by Jane Able, Jim Baker, John Charles, and Andrew Dogg. Rick Bragg thinks that's nutty, and resigned his post to go back to writing more books. I don't know what the acknowledgments page of his memoir All Over but the Shoutin' says, but no one doubts that he gave credit where due. The question is: Who is due the credit?

We haven't seen Mrs. Clinton's book. One way to dilute attention to others in an acknowledgments page is multiplicity. Mention everybody in the world, from the local librarian to the website provider, to the teacher in eighth grade who tuned you in to literature, to-the person or persons who actually wrote the book. People who are sore at Mrs. Clinton have plenty of things to hold against her, but not who wrote her book. And Rick Bragg can't seriously be judged morally guilty for failure to cite the work, however fine it was, of the 23-year-old researcher who supplied the story's color.

William F. Buckley, Jr. is editor-at-large of National Review, a TownHall.com member group.

©2003 Universal Press Syndicate

Contact William F. Buckley | Read Buckley's biography

[Ready4Freddy]

"One critic on television deems it outrageous ..."

O'Reilly, I guess. He thinks everything's outrageous. Even when provided with a list of several other 'authors' whose books were written by others (Bennett, for one), O just couldn't let go.

[the_Watchman]

Newsmen have "slow news days". I suppose this essay demonstrates that columnists have "slow issues days".

[Ruth A.]

She is a very clear and learned lady and is very discriminating, save possibly when at the wedding altar.

That was the best line of the piece. Oh, well, I was hoping for better.

[Bonaparte]

I have to vehemently disagree with Buckley. If HC didn't write her "autobiography," that needs to be made clear. But looking at its listing at Amazon, she is cited as the sole author, which is a lie, probably just the first of many for that book.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Buckley

[PJ-Comix]

Time magazine didn't give the names of the writers of its stories.

Interesting note here. For several years the Religion writer at Time was Whittaker Chambers. And he is believed to have been the best writer Time had. I can believe that after reading his AMAZING autobiography, Witness.

[Howlin]

If HC didn't write her "autobiography," that needs to be made clear.

I saw that woman on Fox who use to have a show there -- Judith Reagan ??? -- who is also a publisher. She said that to even to discuss bidding on the book, you had to sign a confidentiality agreement -- and she indicated that that is pretty much standard fare with ANY dealings with Hillary.

She also said Rush doesn't write his books.

[PGalt]

Buckley is an apologist for the non-specific, the subjective, the insulation of propagandists. Pathetic.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I am deeply saddened that Senator Clinton failed to miserably in acknowledging the writer of her book.

[Ready4Freddy]

"She said that to even to discuss bidding on the book, you had to sign a confidentiality agreement -- and she indicated that that is pretty much standard fare with ANY dealings with Hillary."

Actually, Regan indicated that confidentiality agreements are standard fare in the industry, period, esp for autobiographies. O was trying to spin it for all he was worth, her Rush & Bennett comments lowered the rpms just a bit. Wonder what his umbrage will be focused upon this week.....

[whereasandsoforth]

I don't buy that "Rush doesn't write his books". I read both of Limbaugh's books. They read exactly like he speaks. That cannot be faked. What would be the point? Rush would have to edit every line anyway. It's just another jab to discredit the honor of someone on the opposite side from someone like Hilary Clinton. Rush is an entertainer in print or on the air. Hilary is a bore from the minute she gets up in the morning until long after she is asleep at night.

[Petronski]

More important than who created the thing is who will destroy it: who will get the lucrative contract to pulp all the unsold copies?

[LanPB01]

I don't think it would be too hard to mimic the speech patterns of most radio personalities in print if you listened to them long enough. Rush isn't aired in my area, but I listen to Hannity almost daily. If I was going to write a book for him, I'd use the term, "At the end of the day" every time I was having to defend a position I wasn't really comfortable with, and just throw around the term, "You've got to believe" with impunity. It would also be more believable if I could find some way to fit 150 pages of ads into a 100 page book. I like Hannity's show, but sometimes I'm convinced he's cramming more ads into an hour than is physically possible.

[Pablo64]

She probably had Jayson Blair write most of it for her. ;)

[robertpaulsen]

"If HC didn't write her "autobiography," that needs to be made clear."

Exactly. Call it what it is -- an authorized biography.

[randita]

I don't buy that "Rush doesn't write his books". I read both of Limbaugh's books. They read exactly like he speaks.

The writer could have used transcripts of Rush's shows, condensed and edited them and there you have the book.

[TroutStalker]

For hillary, it takes a village to write a book.

[Howlin]

I'll take a publisher's word for it. BTW, O'Reilly agreed with her.

[cgk]

Thank you. I actually searched by title before posting, as I prefer not to step on toes. I checked that article at the link you provided and it is titled differently, perhaps by Yahoo?

[Bonaparte]

Misrepresentation of authorship may be SOP in the publishing industry. But this reader doesn't care. I want to know who actually wrote the book, and I couldn't care less how common false attribution is.

[Ready4Freddy]

"Misrepresentation of authorship may be SOP in the publishing industry. But this reader doesn't care. I want to know who actually wrote the book, and I couldn't care less how common false attribution is."

Something tells me it's highly unlikely that you'll ever find out who 'writes' the books of the Bennetts / Clintons / Limbaughs of the world, Bonaparte.

[Bonaparte]

Since the authors of those books would undoubtedly turn out to be persons unknown to me, their specific identities wouldn't matter as much as knowing that the book was ghost written. And realistically, I must agree with you. The publishing industry's standard of honesty will probably never approach mine, not even in the basics.

[itsahoot]

I don't buy that "Rush doesn't write his books". I read both of Limbaugh's books.

You may recall thet hillary wrote every word of "It Takes a Village" on a yellow legal pad.

Well thats what she said. [:-)

[timestax]

bump

[proud American in Canada]

I think this book will bomb. At least I hope so. :-)

[fish hawk]

The question is, did William F. Buckley really right this article or did that young apprentice in his office write it??

[Lancey Howard]

Buckley bump.

[LurkerNoMore!]

John Fund helped Rush on his books.

[Old Professer]

Poor Bill, he has written so prolifically for so long that he now has come to the point where he writes so well about nothing that no one understands it.

[BRO68]

Yes. Witness is one of the truly great books of the 20th century.

[ladyinred]

I won't read one lying word of Hillary's book no matter who really wrote it. Apparently if we are to believe what we have heard, there were three different Ghost writers. I do know that her first piece of literary trash about a Village, she didn't give credit at all to the person who did the actual writing. What a shock.

[timestax]

ping

[F16Fighter]

"Even when provided with a list of several other 'authors' whose books were written by others (Bennett, for one), O just couldn't let go."

Boo-hoo. Who are you -- Ann Lewis??

BTW -- this is a biography. Was Bill Bennett's book?

[Ready4Freddy]

"BTW -- this is a biography. Was Bill Bennett's book?"

It's considered a memoirs, not a(n) (auto)biography.

Not sure if Bennett has done his autobiography - point of the publisher's comments was that he didn't put pen to paper either.

[Ready4Freddy]

The O-man gets on his high horse over things that make him appear really obtuse. Case in point his umbrage over the van Damm case, Westerfield's (??) attorneys allegedly approaching the prosecutors with a plea bargain based on Westerfield telling them where the body was.

O went way off in left field, calling the CA State Bar, and supposedly writing them a letter complaining of the 'obvious' violation attorneys had committed.

Never seemed to occur to him that their (allegedly) approaching the prosecutors didn't mean that they knew where the body was. Seems incredibly naive at times, or just plain obtuse.

[Sloth]

She said that to even to discuss bidding on the book, you had to sign a confidentiality agreement -- and she indicated that that is pretty much standard fare with ANY dealings with Hillary.

Of course, with Hillary being a ghostwriter is doubly sensitive -- say the wrong thing, and you not only face breach of contract, you may suddenly "commit suicide" in a park somewhere.

[F16Fighter]

"It's considered a memoirs, not a(n) (auto)biography."

Writing one's own "memoirs" (through the pen of three writers whose names aren't Hillary) should be considered far more personally accountable than writing a mere autobiography, shouldn't it?

[F16Fighter]

Okay, so O'Reilly goes a bit bananas sometimes AND is a populist -- BUT he is one of the few high profile media will the balls to stick it to "untouchable" b@stards like Hitlery, Jesse Jackson, and the ACLU.

For this alone, the man gets my admiration.

[Ready4Freddy]

"Writing one's own "memoirs" (through the pen of three writers whose names aren't Hillary) should be considered far more personally accountable than writing a mere autobiography, shouldn't it?"

Who are you -- Bill O'Reilly?? :>)

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Bennett had a ghost writer? I do not understand this phenomenon. I assume it takes a great deal of money to hire someone to write a book for you, and then give you all of the credit. Does it take less than eight million? How much do the writers get? Why would anyone want to read a book where the plagarism starts on the front cover?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Rush doesn't write his books? He has a ghost writer, too?

[cynwoody]

She is a very clear and learned lady and is very discriminating, save possibly when at the wedding altar.

That reminds me of the one about Hillary's old boyfriend ...

Bill and Hillary are out driving in the country near Hillary`s hometown. They are low on fuel, so Bill pulls into a gas station for a fill-up. The attendant comes out and begin's to pump gas into the first couple's tank. As he is doing this, he looks into the passenger window.

"Hey, Hillary. We used to date in high school, do you remember me?" he asks. They chat for a few minutes, Bill pays and the first couple leaves. As they drive Bill is feeling very proud of himself and looks over at Hillary.

"You used to date that guy? Just think what it would be like if you had married him," he says smugly.

Hillary looks at Bill and shrugs. Then she replies, "Well I guess you'd be pumping gas and he would be the President."

[F16Fighter]

"Who are you -- Bill O'Reilly?? :>)"

Touche ;-)

[Ready4Freddy]

LOL, couldn't resist that one, F16! :>)

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Well, then Rush could have used the transcripts and easily written the books himself, why would he need a ghost writer?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Just like Alice Walker, eh?

[Howlin]

That's what Judith Reagan said on O'Reilly.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Didn't Cheney first spin a yarn like this (during the nomination) about him and Lynn, and then it got twisted into the Arkansas gas station attendant?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

I watched it, too... I don't recall her saying that about Rush or Bennett. But I do have two children that tend to keep me distracted! Oh, well.