Behind Clinton's Diamonds and Pearls (ex-intern for Reid asked question, was handpicked by CNN)

New York Times ^ | Nov. 17, 2007 | Jodi Kantor

[FocusNexus]

Last week, CNN had contacted Ms. Parra-Sandoval, a political science student at University of Las Vegas-Nevada, through a professor, and asked her to submit a question. She wrote one about health care for children. CNN rejected it, calling it too similar to another question that would be asked. (No such question was.) So she sent another, about Iraq. That was rejected too. On Wednesday, a CNN producer asked her for two final questions, one substantive and one light. Ms. Parra-Sandoval sent one about Yucca Mountain, the Nevada site under consideration as a storage facility for radioactive waste. With the deadline approaching, she stared at her computer screen. Noticing the pearl-pattern background on her MySpace page, she dashed off the jewelry one.

CNN asked her to come to the debate with both questions memorized. Two hours in, a producer whispered that she should ask the second one.

Ms. Parra-Sandoval does not seem the least bit frivolous or bling-minded. A former illegal immigrant whose parents clean and do laundry for Las Vegas hotels, she attends a UNLV honors program on scholarship and work-study programs. Two summers ago, she interned for Senator Harry Reid

[KC_Conspirator]

Does this not bother anyone?

It burns me up to no end. Its nothing but lie, after lie, after lie, after lie coming from the liberal media and the democrats.

[Chode]

can you shop TouristSenator into that picture???