WaPo: Thomas's 'Angry' Memoir vs. Clinton's 'Fascinating' Autobio

Photo of Michael M. Bates.

Today's Washington Post carries the story, "Justice Thomas Lashes Out in Memoir." The article focuses on Justice Clarence Thomas's memoir "My Grandfather's Son" and begins:

Justice Clarence Thomas settles scores in an angry and vivid forthcoming memoir, scathingly condemning the media, the Democratic senators who opposed his nomination to the Supreme Court, and the "mob" of liberal elites and activist groups that he says desecrated his life.

The piece later notes that "Thomas has particularly caustic comments about the Democratic senators who opposed his nomination."

Settling scores. Angry. Scathingly condemning. Caustic comments.

It all sounds pretty mean-spirited, to use one of the liberals' favorite adjectives.

Compare this article to the Washington Post's appraisal of former President Clinton's "My Life." The June 28, 2004 review by Walter Isaacson noted:

His (Clinton's) life is too fascinating, his mind too brilliant, his desire to charm too strong to permit him to produce a boring book. The combination of analytic and emotional intelligence that made him a great politician now makes him a compelling raconteur.

Mr. Isaacson writes that the former president "treats folks such as prodigal pollster Dick Morris and political doppelganger Newt Gingrich with notable gentility."

It's not that Clinton didn't use his own memoir to excoriate his opponents. According to a June 19, 2004 New York Times article on Clinton's book:

The book's length gives the former president plenty of room to settle scores, and he does so with his customary élan. He takes the whip to Republicans in Congress; Louis J. Freeh, the former F.B.I. director; the National Rifle Association; and even the Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in 1997 that Paula Jones's sexual harassment case against him could go forward while he was in office. . .

He reserved special venom for Kenneth W. Starr, the independent counsel who chased him for years in one of the most expensive government investigations in the nation's history. He writes that Mr. Starr was the tribune of an organized right-wing cabal that was determined to destroy his presidency because he was a personal anathema to them and repeatedly defeated them on policy grounds.

Going back to the Washington Post review, it ends by calling Clinton's book "a fascinating reflection of the tenor of our times."

The Washington Post will never describe Justice Thomas's memoir as fascinating. Maybe if he possessed the customary élan of the impeached former president. . .


Comments Policy

All comments are owned by whoever posted them and are subject to our terms of use. They should not be assumed to represent the views of NewsBusters.

Viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

To the left, Justice Thomas is just another "uppity negro"

who wandered off their plantation.

How could he possibly compare to the "first black president?"

Uppity Negro

In the MSM world, black people aren't supposed to believe in the Constitution or be conservative.

In addition to...

Michael,

How true!  Look at how many key blacks conservatives have been branded "Uncle Toms" for supposedly betraying the demoncratic party.  The Demoncrats have fed blacks and other minorities a huge line of bull over the decades and, sadly, the vast majority of them keep falling for their pack of lies hook, line and sinker.

God bless Alan Keyes, J.C. Watts, Justice Thomas and others who have said to these left-coast, bleeding-heart, 'do as I say, not as I do' liberals "you're NOT my party!"


"Yeah, that's the ticket!" - Tommy Flanagan

Non-liberal blacks, goldenthroat

God bless Alan Keyes, J.C. Watts, Justice Thomas and others who have said to these left-coast, bleeding-heart, 'do as I say, not as I do' liberals "you're NOT my party!"

Not to mention Drs. Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell, two towering intellects willing to challenge conventional wisdom.

God bless Clarence Thomas

I absolutely adore and have the greatest admiration for Justice Thomas. His life is one of the greatest living Hollywood moments in history.

I will never forget that liar Anita Hill being drilled in questioning by Senator Specter and in the first round the media never even caught what I did that Specter got Hill to admit she was telling a different story. After lunch the fireworks begand and Hill just shrunk under fire.

Then came the big show of Thomas under the gun with Kennedy and Metzenbaum blazing away with Democrats at him............and then the infamous lines of Clarence Thomas of, "THIS IS NOTHING BUT A HIGH TECH LYNCHING OF A BLACK MAN".

Boy howdy times ten I will never forget the blank expressions of horror shock that came over Metzenbaum's face when Clarence Thomas' words echoed in that hearing chamber.

People will never realize that here is one American male who stood up to the entire media, the entire character assassination groups and the entire democratic party........the people who had destroyed so many other good people.......and he alone beat them.

Clarence Thomas is brave beyond brave and is one hard sell. I can not extol the virtues of this gentleman enough and if the liberals are squawking over his book.........he has simply hammered them again with Truth, Fact and Logic in beating their mob again fair and square.

God bless the Justice and may he live long and carry this nation through.............as liberals thought they were going to Bork him, but in the end Alito and Roberts both owe their position on the court to the one man stand Clarence Thomas took and won for all Americans.

 

 

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

Adoring Justice Thomas

I love him for his prudent court decisions and his dignity and his adherence to principle. And I really love him for the enemies he's made.

I'd buy a used car from

I'd buy a used car from Clarence Thomas before I'd ever even consider buying one from Bill Clinton.

Clinton's used cars

Clinton would give used car salesmen a bad name.

You mean, Bill

You mean, Bill Clinton's...stained cars.

Clinton cult of personality

It's always nauseating when the MSM holds a worship service in the cult of personality that surrounds Bill Clinton.  Bubba is the most overrated president of my lifetime, if not all of American history.  Apart from the scandals, the man accomplished almost nothing.  His major skill is manipulating the media, but then, the media is very compliant for him.  In a hundred years, Bill Clinton will be a historical footnote as the second president to be impeached.  Otherwise, he'll be a towering historical figure along the lines of Millard Fillmore.

When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.

the cult of personality

the cult of personality that surrounds Bill Clinton

 

WOW! I'd forgotten about that song from 1988!  I kind of liked it.  The black rock band, Living Color, was pretty good.  Didn't really go anywhere after that hit, "The Cult Of Personality". Must've been the fall of Spandex fashion, I guess ... 

It would make for a great anti-Clinton theme song?

 

http://youtube.com/w...

Millard Fillmore

Otherwise, he'll be a towering historical figure along the lines of Millard Fillmore.

But without the morals.

I disagree with the following viking

His major skill is manipulating the media,the media is very compliant for him. 

I don't believe Clinton manipulated the media.  That implies that he pulled the wool over their eyes. 

The media is complicit with Clinton and all libs for that matter. 

Slight Correction

"In a hundred years, Bill Clinton will be a historical footnote as the second president to be impeached"

But Slick's the first ELECTED President to be impeached, as Johnson was never elected President.

By the way, when Bill left office, the majority of Americans polled said his Presidency would only be remembered for its scandals.

word up

I never reliazed elan was French for deception.  Fascinating...

French elan

I thought it might have meant devoid of shame. If it's used to describe Clinton, it should.

Bill Clinton Defamed Ken Starr

Allow me to remind Newsbusters readers that Clinton's slander and defamation of Ken Starr was considered libelous under English law. This led the publisher to delete the slanderous passages for the British edition.

Here is a rather benign account of the incident from the New York Times:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E6DF173DF937A15754C0A9629C8B63&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/C/Clinton,%20Bill

"Most of the changes center on what Mr. Clinton portrays as Mr. Starr's attempts to persuade potential witnesses to lie about the activities of the former president and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, now the junior senator from New York.

For example, in the United States edition, published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House Inc., Mr. Clinton speaks of Mr. Starr's ''continuing efforts to coerce people into making false charges against Hillary and me, and to prosecute those who refused to lie for him.''

In the British edition, published by Hutchinson, also part of Random House Inc. and its German parent, Bertelsmann, the word false was deleted and the final clause was changed to ''and to prosecute those who refused to tell him what he wanted to hear.''

According to the Times, they made twelve changes in all. Suffice it to say, the example they used was probably one of the least offensive.

 

Defaming Ken Starr, geno8808

An excellent reminder. Thanks.

I think I'd be "angry" and

I think I'd be "angry" and "caustic" if the media in conjunction with Democrats in the U.S. Senate (and the Jesse Jackson race-baiting shakedown artists) tried to ruin my career and personal life because I accepted the honor of being nominated to the Supreme Court.  The fact that drunken murderer Ted Kennedy and segregationist Howell Heflin were in a position to pass judgment on this great man is shameful.

I'm still angry

I'm still angry about how Clarence Thomas was treated, and still angry that one of the 11 Democrats who voted FOR him was tossed off the ticket by Illinois Democrats the following election. They preferred, if you can believe it, Carol Moseley Braun. Talk about an empty pantsuit. . .

Double Standard

The same people who went after Thomas later defended Bill Clinton for having an adulterous relationship, as President of the United States, with someone who could be considered his workplace subordinate. She was also young enough to be his daughter.

Tell me again what would have happened if a Republican President did the exact same thing?

Great Quote from Thomas piece

"The book's contents had been closely guarded before its publication date of Oct. 1, the first day of the Supreme Court's new term, but The Washington Postpurchased a copy yesterday at an area bookstore, where it had been placed on display."

That's why the Post gave the bad review.  They wouldn't give them a freebie!!  LOL