We all know about Hillary's 3 AM mastery. As for 11 PM, Bill Clinton went on the campaign trail in Indiana yesterday and chalked up his wife's problems with the truth of Tuzla to the senior moments that afflict people of her age at that time of night.
Morning Joe has been having an absolute field day today with Bill's fibs on the matter, repeatedly playing clips of him out on the stump yesterday. How can a politician tell he's gone too far in twisting the truth? When Willie Geist, normally averse to plunging into the political fray, faults a pol for telling "so many lies" about something, as Willie did this morning about Bill's whoppers. Joe Scarborough branded Bill a "runaway beer truck."
Here's a transcript of Clinton's comments in the Hoosier State yesterday. See if you can count the number of misstatements he managed to cram into a a couple short soundbites that Morning Joe edited together.
BILL CLINTON: Some of you may have seen it. She took a terrible beating in the press for a few days, cause she was exhausted at 11 o'clock at night and she started talking about Bosnia, and she misstated the circumstances under which she landed in Bosnia. Did y'all see all that? And, oh, they acted like she, you know, she was practically Mata Hari, you know, just making up all this stuff . . . Hillary one time, late at night, misstated and immediately apologized for it, what happened to her in Bosnia in 1995. Did y'all see all that? Oh, they blew it up, and you would have thought, you know, that she robbed a bank, the way they all carried on about this. And some of them when they're 60, they'll forget something when they're tired at 11 o'clock at night, too.
So . . . shall we count the ways Bill twisted the truth?- It wasn't "11 o'clock at night," it was mid-morning on at least one occasion.
- It wasn't "one time." She made the statement several times, including at least once as part of prepared remarks.
- She didn't "immediately apologize." To the contrary, her campaign stonewalled for 11 days until CBS rolled tape of the event in question,
showing Hillary not running with her head down as she claimed, but relaxedly participating in a welcoming ceremony on the tarmac. - It was 1996, not 1995.
- Most egregiously, in my opinion, Hillary has been compared to a lot of things, but never, never!, to Mata Hari.
Note: Matt Lauer raised the matter with guest Chris Matthews on this morning's Today show. But at least in the first half-hour, neither The Early Show nor GMA saw fit to mention Bill's tangles with the truth
Also, while Morning Joe didn't roll that part of Clinton's stump remarks in Indiana, he also said " I think she was the first first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt to go into a combat zone." Wrong again. How did Bill miss the frequent press mentions over the last couple weeks of the fact that Pat Nixon went to Vietnam in 1969?
Jake Tapper has done an excellent lie-by-lie deconstruction of Bill's statement. H/t Allahpundit, who also has fun taking Bill part.
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
















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Oh. My. Gosh.
April 11, 2008 - 08:44 ET by motherbeltThis is just hilarious! Just as the Bosnia sniper story begins to recede, the Boy President brings it up again!! And mentions her age, hinting that that might be why she "forgot." (maybe that was sly dig at McCain, who's even older???)
Tell us Bill, how does "60" or "forgetting" factor into this? Sorry folks, she just "forgot" that it was an uneventful landing, and thought she remembered sniper fire?
He really doesn't want her to win. Either that or he's the dumbest spouse of a candidate, ever. And the one thing Bill Clinton has never been accused of is being politically stupid.
Mother, You are
April 11, 2008 - 09:04 ET by kdoliverMother,
You are absolutely correct. He doesn't want her to win. Even my liberal friends who support(ed) her are wondering whats going on. But as I have told my wife, its good to be right. Even when it has taken almost 20 years for the world to see what us smart people say from the beginning.
http://thelazytriathlete.blogspot.com/
→ Bill's legacy is safe
April 11, 2008 - 08:43 ET by Cool ArrowHe will continue to be the only President in the family.
♣ a seal
Wow, Bill. What if, when
April 11, 2008 - 08:50 ET by motherbeltWow, Bill. What if, when she's President, she "forgets" that someone didn't attack us, and orders retaliation?
Bush better be careful
April 11, 2008 - 14:39 ET by CobraManThen you can kiss W's Crawford Ranch goodbye!
I am beginning to think
April 11, 2008 - 08:50 ET by MassConservativeI am beginning to think Bill may be a member of the "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy".
Never have I seen a pair so capable of snagging defeat from the hands of victory. They had Obama on the ropes with the Wright story and yet couldn't leave well enough alone.
I just love the fact that Democrats are finally coming around to what the right-wing has been saying about these two buffoons.
Obama '08 - He has the Wright stuff...and that is wrong for America !!
And then there's her laugh...
April 11, 2008 - 08:57 ET by Prester JohnClinton laughs off Colombia Questions
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) – Hillary Clinton used her trademark laugh Thursday to deflect a question about the $800,000 her husband earned in 2005 giving speeches for a Bogota-based group that supports the Colombia free trade agreement — the same trade deal she currently opposes.
Asked by CNN if those earnings represented a conflict of interest given that she has dipped into her family's pocketbook to pay campaign bills, Clinton threw up her hands and laughed loudly for several seconds.
"How many angels dance on the head of the pin?," she responded, continuing to giggle. "I have really, uh, nothing to … I mean, how do you answer that?"
The New York senator explained there are different sides to the argument over trade, and re-emphasized her own opposition to the trade deal, assailing the Colombian government's "outrageous" record of "targeting labor leaders."
"I am against the Colombia free trade deal," she said. "It doesn't matter who talks to me. It doesn't matter any circumstances. I have been against it. I am against it. I will be against it absent the kind of changes in behavior that I have been calling for from the Colombian government."
Earlier in the press conference, describing her husband's advocacy for the trade deal, Clinton said: "Everyone is free to express their opinion."
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/10/clinton-laughs-off-colombia-questions/
How do you answer that? I would say with the truth and some candor but you don't know the meaning of either word.
At least he's not meeting
April 11, 2008 - 09:15 ET by mattmAt least he's not meeting with Hamas - there, I didn't say anything nasty about Bill...
If their love life was
April 11, 2008 - 09:41 ET by SchnikeysIf their love life was frigid before, BJ's reference to her age had to have lowered the thermostat a few more notches.
And MSDNC already has their candidate chosen, so of course they're going to be taking part in the anti-Hillary mob scene...great cover to use when trying to appear objective.
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“If I had my choice, I would kill every reporter in the world, but I am sure we would be getting reports from hell before breakfast."
-General Sherman
One thing I noticed was that
April 11, 2008 - 09:57 ET by marpelOne thing I noticed was that Joe Scar and Mika were eluding to the remark Bill made about Hillary's "opponent", stating something like, "Vote for me, I didn't steal a car", was that he was making a racial slur against Obama. Of course, as detrimental (but entertaining) as Bill has been for his wife, I think Joe was making a mountain out of a molehill. I wish the media would stop with this race game.
Ol' Bill is just a loose cannon for Hillary, and I can't wait to hear what else he will have to say. It's almost like he's drunk! But, I'm enjoying every minute of it!
Finally figured it out
April 11, 2008 - 10:46 ET by JohanIt's all clear to why Bill Hillary say the things they do. They both have Tourette's.
What is comical about all
April 11, 2008 - 17:23 ET by bigtimerWhat is comical about all of this to me is the Clintons still do not understand that they are going to be shown on national airwaves for all their lies, they are not used to this yet...why should they be, the msm has spun, omitted, lied for these critters all of their political life until now...
I love it.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
You're right, Mark
April 11, 2008 - 18:10 ET by BlondeMorning Joe really rolled with this story this a.m. Chrissie offered up his opinions...either Bill is doing this to "clear" the record because he fears Hillary is losing and will run again in four years, or that he's trying to mend the "Clinton Family Legacy" (what went unsaid was that the family legacy is a legacy of lying, cheating, and dirty politics).
It got even better later on, as Joe asked Obama's campaign chair if Bill Clinton was on the Obama payroll now. That was a coffee spitter.
I am truly enjoying Morning Joe...between Mika's stupidity, Joe calling her on it, and the ever-more wicked Willy (he had Joe laughing so hard over the little people Guiness book of records soccer team that Joe had to get up and leave the set, all the while Mika was clucking like a mother hen).
It's truly funny, particularly if you keep in mind that the libs on MSNBC are sooooooo sincere, they actually believe all of the stupid statements that come out of their mouths.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
This is full of fun comments
April 11, 2008 - 22:34 ET by DelsaI am still laughing at Cool Arrow's suggestion that "Bill will continue to be the only president in the family".
Too funny.
If McCain looses it will be a stroke of blind luck.
Delsa... You got me
April 11, 2008 - 22:39 ET by bigtimerDelsa...
You got me chucklin' here...loudly.
....that was good gal.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Bigtimer
April 11, 2008 - 22:43 ET by DelsaI continue to laugh at B Clinton suggesting H Clinton has no brain function after 11 because she is 60.
OMG !
What time is it?