Huffington Post Covered Up Bill Clinton Affair During 2008 Presidential Campaign

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 | Kristinn

[kristinn]

Huffington Post reporter Mayhill Fowler reveals today that she intentionally ignored reporting former President Bill Clinton's adulterous relationship with an unnamed mistress during his wife Hillary's campaign for the 2008 Democratic party presidential nomonation.

Fowler writes she knew the state of the Clintons' marriage had national security implications as she notes that Democratic voters were falsely comforted thinking the former two-term president would be by Hillary's side in bed at the White House when the "3 a.m." phone call came. But that was not enough for her to report the truth so the voters could decide for themselves. Huffington Post, the liberal, supposed alternative to the gatekeepers in the mainstream media became the same gatekeepers that they allegedly detested.

Fowler published the story today at the Huffington Post based on excerpts of her book, Notes from a Clueless Journalist: Media, Bias and the Great Election of 2008, available tomorrow as an E-Book on Amazon.

At the time I covered the rally in Victoria, I had decided not to follow up on another story about Bill Clinton that had come my way--one involving his longtime mistress. I mention the nature of the Clinton story with some specificity now only because months later, after the Democratic primaries, the National Enquirer wrote about the relationship. In Texas, staring this story in the face, immediately I turned aside. If I know all about this woman, then surely every national reporter does and is as wary of the story as I am. Nevertheless, I was careful never to mention anything to anybody at OffTheBus. I rationalized the refusal to follow through by telling myself that Clinton's private life was peripheral to the race. But then there came a moment in the Texas primary when the nature of the Clinton marriage suddenly appeared front and center.

A difference between Election 2008 and preceding presidential races is that only one political ad for TV had as much impact as any of half-a-dozen YouTube videos. The brilliant television ad was the "3 A.M. crisis phone call at the White House" that the Clinton Campaign ran in Texas before the primary. The Clinton team knew Texans--folks obsessed with all things big, including such big prospects as national security. So the red phone ad, as it was sometimes called, was powerful persuasion. If I heard a Texan say it once, I heard it a hundred times: thank goodness Hillary will have Bill next to her at 3 A.M. By late February, a piece that gave depth to this naïve view of the Clintons' relationship was suddenly something to think about. But in fact I never really considered it. Executing such a story could have had consequences for the mistress's children, who were still minors. There was no way I would write something that I knew in advance would mortify a high school student in front of his peers. My mother's outrage and pain at the political sex scandal that had blighted her adolescence was just too vivid a presence.

So I continued to rationalize. I told myself various truths: many different kinds of loving experiences make a good world; no one except partners themselves know what goes on behind the bedroom door. As a woman who has been married for thirty-six years, I appreciate the complicated and forgiving nature of long attachments. Nuance about the dynamic of a successful marriage had been one of the things lacking in the widely-criticized New York Times piece on John McCain's supposed infatuation with a lobbyist. Therefore, I told myself, the presence of a mistress really does not tell us all that much about the rich relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton. But, in the end, I passed on the story for personal reasons. And I came to see that family history, which had always been a penumbra belonging to the dead, was shaping my own storytelling.

I'm calling BS (Barbra Streisand) on her rationalizations. She and the Huffington Post wanted to protect the Democrats and did not want to give conservatives the satisfaction of having been proved right yet again about the Clintons and the Democrat party.

[OrangeHoof]

What’s a Huffington Post reporter? Zsa Zsa has reporters?

[animal172]

I can’t imagine anyone having a fling with Hillary. but then, I’m a man. :)

[happygrl]

A lot was covered up about Bill Clinton including his rapes of women. When he was impeached he should have been made to go to jail.

How soon that has been forgotten.

The so-called "feminist" women were true to their real agenda in this matter: support of Leftist/Democrat politics, no matter what!

[torchthemummy]

Executing such a story could have had consequences for the mistress's children, who were still minors. There was no way I would write something that I knew in advance would mortify a high school student in front of his peers. My mother's outrage and pain at the political sex scandal that had blighted her adolescence was just too vivid a presence.

I am going to make an assumption that this same writer never protested about the abuse of Sarah Palin's children by the press. Just unbelievable (well, not really).

[MHGinTN]

If that is her to sinkEmperor’s left, she’s a doll!

[PapaBear3625]

There have been people who say "I can't believe Bill Clinton risked his power and status, just to get laid".

I say "Bill Clinton wanted political power and status IN ORDER TO get women and wealth".

[SeattleBruce]

“Or Governor’s Sanford’s children.”
++++++++++++++

Or any Republican anywhere, vs. any RAT anywhere. Nope, no bias here, nuthin’ to see...move along now...go on home now and be good little sheeple...

[top 2 toe red]

Make no mistake, hillary would have been an absolutely horrendous president...just as lousy as obama, just in a different lousy way!

[Vendome]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a Youtube remix of Belinda:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERVZ-jegGd0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Frantzie]

God she is gross but so is he.

[freekitty]

I guess I just don’t undsrstand how people can call for a rapist to be jailed; and elect one to office.

[caveat emptor]

She's happily married now - to a man 10 years younger than her.

Thanks for the reminder. She's been replaced by hordes of Democrats of all sexes, colors, ages, and sexual orientations willing to Monica Dingy Harry for his position on health care - well, abortion too.

[wildbill]

But how few of the Dems told the public and the NYT to ignore the McCain story.

Rationalize it all you want, Ms. Fowler, but you didn’t report the full story.

By the way, she refers to a political sex scandal her mother had to deal with. Since she brought it up, does anyone know that story?

[supremedoctrine]

Fat Chance was her stage name.

[melancholy]

Confirmation that the Clintons' were going to drag the country through another four years of malfeasance would have sunk them this time around.

Could it be that this is coming out to put to rest any Hillary ideas about quitting and possibly running against 0b0z0 in ‘12??

Hillary has been dumped and her responsibilities split between many. IOW, dissed thoroughly and may be thinking of revenge, big time, plus she always wanted the POTUS job.

[MozarkDawg]

Therefore, I told myself, the presence of a mistress really does not tell us all that much about the rich relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton.

I'm calling BS (Barbra Streisand) on her rationalizations.

---

Absolutely right to do so, kristinn -- the presence of a mistress tells us an ENORMOUS amount, not just about that relationship, but about Hillary Clinton herself, especially after all the other mistresses/shenanigans over the years. To find out she is still allowing it says precisely what kind of woman she is, what we could have expected of her in the job as president. It was entirely appropriate for the electorate to know and unethical, at best, for this reporter not to disclose the information.

[animal172]

You and I are in total agreement. Although, if I were married to Hillary.....well......

[Talisker]

I have repeatedly said that I believe the most definitive thing that has happened to the American culture in my lifetime (6 decades) is the lies told by Bill and Hillary Clinton and, most important, THE LEGITIMIZATION OF LYING that they introduced into our nation’s culture. At the highest level of the land they made it socially acceptable and even coated it in a ‘the ends justify the means’ philosophy that changed forever the fundamental concept that America is a nation based on principles. The Clintons, like the Zeros, are evil personified.

Amen - they are the nadir. And all of the various "theys" are actually her:

[DallasSun]

Good grief. Why would anyone, other than Bill and Hillary, care at this point?

[DallasSun]

That is my question also. And a valid question. If this journalist knew, so did many others. This journalist did not single handedly cover this story up.