[dion]

I agree with you. I don't know why anyone thinks that this story, true or not, in any way discredits the legacy of Thomas Jefferson. Personally, I think he was the most important founding father and find many of his quotes to be very prophetic about a lot of the problems we have today. How him possibly sleeping with Sally Hemmings in any way voids his contributions to this country is beyond me. (Ironically these same people would argue that the Monica Lewinsky scandal didn't matter because it was only about sex.) :)

[cyborg]

Didn't Benjamin Franklin have a child in illegitimacy too?

[Ancesthntr]

How him possibly sleeping with Sally Hemmings in any way voids his contributions to this country is beyond me. (Ironically these same people would argue that the Monica Lewinsky scandal didn't matter because it was only about sex.) :)

That certainly bears repeating!

2 key ideas are here: First, that what Jefferson did on behalf of this country stands on its own as the product of his intellect and his character. The words and warning that are his real legacy to this country and the world are true no matter what he may or may not have done in his private life. Second, one must ALWAYS look to the motivation of those who seek to tear down an individual. In this case it is clear that smearing so revered a figure as TJ is the perfect way to excuse allegedly similar behavior by WJC.

[mrustow]

I agree with you. I don't know why anyone thinks that this story, true or not, in any way discredits the legacy of Thomas Jefferson. Personally, I think he was the most important founding father and find many of his quotes to be very prophetic about a lot of the problems we have today. How him possibly sleeping with Sally Hemmings in any way voids his contributions to this country is beyond me. (Ironically these same people would argue that the Monica Lewinsky scandal didn't matter because it was only about sex.) :)

The most important sentence in your post was the last one. These people are such political hacks, that the real significance to the story is as the expression of their expedient, political machinations. They would prostitute all human knowledge.