Maura Moynihan
Posted on 06/28/2005 5:49:17 PM PDT by wagglebee
Though he had a distinguished career as a journalist and editor at such places as the New York Times, Newsweek, and Vanity Fair, Edward Klein has seen his sterling reputation go into near meltdown in just a matter of days.
The reason? He has committed a cardinal sin for liberals: he has harshly criticized Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Long time friends are distancing themselves from him and others are going to great lengths to besmirch him.
Such was the case last week when the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan's daughter Maura penned an article about Klein and his new book "The Truth About Hillary" for the New York Observer.
Maura's hit piece on Klein is entitled "Smears and Lies: Klein on Clinton."
But Maura Moynihan has been caught in her own "smears and lies."
Among her numerous allegations, Maura implied that Klein has never even interviewed her mother Elizabeth for his book.
Such an allegation is sensational.
Not only does it undermine Klein's account of the late Senator Moynihan's meeting with Hillary Clinton – a story that was excerpted in Vanity Fair – the charge also makes him out to be a fabricator of the first order.
Here's what Maura wrote:
"Mr. Klein has now gone on the record to say that he spent ‘several hours interviewing Mrs. Moynihan.' Puzzling indeed, in that Mrs. Moynihan - my mother - hasn't seen Mr. Klein in over 20 years. I'd like to see the transcripts or hear the tapes of his on-the-record talks with Mrs. Moynihan."
Klein never interviewed Elizabeth Moynihan?
Not so fast. The clever Maura never actually says that. She simply writes that Klein "hasn't seen Mr. Klein in over 20 years…"
And, as Ed Klein will tell you that is true. He hasn't seen her in some time.
But he has spoken with her by phone.
"I don't claim to have seen Elizabeth Moynihan [for the book], but I did call her," Ed Klein told NewsMax of his telephone interview. "She did talk to me at great length and she knew it was on-the-record and she knew it was for a book about Hillary."
Klein recalled Mrs. Moynihan's immediate distaste of Hillary. "During that conversation, which took place on September 17, 2003, after I said to her 'Liz, I'm doing a book on Hillary and I'd like to talk to you on-the-record about her,' the very first words out of her mouth were ‘I can't stand her.'"
"The next words out of her mouth were 'She was terrible to deal with when Pat [Senator Moynihan] was chairman of [the Senate Finance Committee] and her would-be health care. She always lied about what was happening. She'd say things to people that Pat never had hearings when he had in fact thirty. She's duplicitous. She would say or do anything that would forward her ambitions. She can look you straight in the eye and lie and sort of almost not know it. Lying isn't a sufficient word. It's distortion of truth to fit her case. There's not much point to even talk to her.'"
Mr. Klein told NewsMax.com that he has "five single-spaced pages of notes [concerning his conversation with Mrs. Moynihan] on my computer."
He added that he has known Elizabeth Moynihan and her late husband since he was stationed in New Delhi in the 70s and became very close to them during ceremonies marking the installation of the new king of Bhutan.
"I was with Pat and Liz for a week and got to know them pretty damn well in that week," Klein said. "I kept in touch with Pat during his entire career."
Why is Maura Moynihan giving the false impression Klein never spoke to his mother?
Klein believes that her motive may be her friendship with Sen. Clinton and her close ties to Hillary's long-time aide Mandy Grunwald. Maura and Mandy were roommates at Harvard.
"She obviously put Maura Moynihan up to this," Klein said. "Maura Moynihan is obviously lying through her teeth. I did speak to Elizabeth Moynihan and this is what she told me. Either I'm lying or Elizabeth Moynihan is lying and I don't think Elizabeth is lying, and neither am I."
Though his book was released last week and his revelations about Senator Moynihan and his feelings about Hillary came out several weeks ago in Vanity Fair, Elizabeth Moynihan has not uttered any public statement about the matter.
But Maura still insists that Klein's account of what happened when then first lady Hillary Clinton met with her parents in 1999 is not accurate.
"Mr. Klein also claims firsthand knowledge of a meeting between my parents and Mrs. Clinton that took place in their apartment in Washington. It was during this meeting that Mrs. Clinton, then the nation's First Lady, discussed the idea of running for the seat my father was about to vacate. Mr. Klein puts quotes around statements that were never uttered. I can confirm this because the only other persons present during this meeting were myself and our Tibetan cook, who speaks about 10 words of English."
Mr. Klein details in his book that Mrs. Moynihan told him she confronted Hillary about lying about her record, for claiming credit with legislation she had no role in, and why New Yorkers didn't like her. Mrs. Moynihan told Hillary she had lost support by championing the cause of the Palestinians.
Mrs. Moynihan also claimed to Klein that an irritated Pat told Hillary he had to go to the Senate for business. He fibbed. Instead he went to a neighboring apartment until she left his apartment.
Clearly these revelations are unflattering toward Hillary and no doubt embarrassing to Maura.
"The Clintons have gone back to their playbook to deal with this book," Mr. Klein said. "What they've done is they have attempted to smear the messenger and then prevent him - me - from answering their charges on the mainstream media by getting to that media and threatening them if they put me on that they will never get Hillary on."
"I think this book will be vindicated and that it will in fact achieve its goal of putting a big dent on Mrs. Clinton's ambitions," Klein said.
I was surprised that Moynihan's daughter was out there defending Hitlery when it was not really a secret that her father despised the Klintoons.
He really has some explaining to do. . .
Liberals that still have a brain cell will have to step back and take a long look at the smearing and attacks on Klein.
Maura Moynihan
He may have despised them, but he came out publicly and endorsed Hillary's senate campaign. (And it was a shocker.)
Did Klein tape the phone call?
Klein is an experienced journalist and knew full well what he was getting into, so I would think he recorded it.
Klein is right about this much: the campaign against him is right out of the Clinton playbook. We all saw how people got smeared when Bubba was in office. I'm beginning to have sympathy for Klein. As for the Clintons and their cohorts, we already know that lying is their modus operandi.
One would think. . .
. . .but Liberalism does have it's own built-in anti-dote to self-relfection and conscience'; even if a few brain cells survive.
If a Lib out there, recognizes the contradictions here; senses that a Justice is not being served; think the recomended 'self-prescription' for his malaise is to watch Jerry Springer re-runs until the 'feeling' goes away. . .and he can recover his collective thoughts.
But who knows; perhaps I am too negative here. Just maybe, the Left's response to Klein will shake at least a few Libs out of their mindlessness.
ahhh, sorry. . .make that 'conscience'. . .makes a little more sense.
OTOH; I always wondered why an esteemed Senator allowed his values to be so compromised.
Politics as usual perhaps. . .the 'greater good' of the Party, maybe;
. . .or perhaps he thought more would read between the lines; read the unwritten warning that power-hungry sociopaths should never be allowed to find their way to the exercise of real power.
Bravo, Ed Klein. Keep your chin up and express confidence in your book and its impact.
Other conservatives should do the same. This book has been smeared, and prominent conservative spokesman have been panicked.
Lesson: NEVER, EVER let the liberals tell us what we can do, or say. It only leads to missed opportunities at best, disaster at worst.
Failing to destroy Hitlery's reputation before '08 could be a DISASTER.
FReepers and fellow-travelers, buy, read and promote Klein's book.
Ah, more hairsplitting lies from the same lawyerly people who consider oral sex to be 'not sexual relations,' swear they never pled guilty to perjury even though it's in their plea agreement with the Arkansas Bar, and have differing opinions as to what the word 'is' means.
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