CONFIRMED: Bill Clinton Slams New York Times' Coverage Of Hillary At Private Fundraiser
March 16, 2007 -- 11:25 AM EST // //
I've just confirmed it: Bill Clinton is going after The New York Times, complaining that the paper's coverage of his wife is unfair and that the paper's giving a pass to Hillary rival Barack Obama.
I just got off the phone with someone who was present at a private fundraiser on Tuesday night where Bill Clinton was the featured guest, and he tells me that Clinton aggressively critized The Times in his speech to guests.
Specifically, Bill hammered the paper for its coverage of Hillary's Iraq stance, and faulted the paper for not covering certain aspects of Obama's position on the war.
A gossip column in the New York Post ran an item today on some of Clinton's comments at the fundraiser -- which was held at the plush apartment of mortgage exec Keith Kantrowitz -- but quoted a "source close to Clinton" disputing the account. However, I've now spoken with one guest -- someone I know and trust -- and he not only confirmed what happened, but added a lot more, too, and I have full confidence in this source.
"Clinton spoke about the Times at some length," the guest says. "He said that The Times had basically created an artificial construct on whether or not Hillary should apologize for the war. He said the paper kept pushing it."
Clinton also faulted The Times for undercovering various comments by Obama about the war, including some about the 2002 Iraq War resolution, the source says.
"He quoted Obama as saying in some other newspaper a couple years ago that he didn't know how he would have voted. He also said that Obama had said at some point in 2006 that there was very little difference between his position and Bush's position on Iraq. He said that The Times had not reported these comments prominently. It was like two minutes on how Obama was getting a free ride while the paper pursued the Hillary-should-apologize storyline...He was just upset about it. He was passionate."
Asked about these specific quotes, Clinton spokesman Jay Carson declined to comment.
A sign that the Clintons are sweating Obama? Perhaps...or does Bill have a point? Either way, it's certainly noteworthy that the former President is unhappy with the Paper of Record's coverage of his wife's Presidential campaign -- and thinks her rival is getting a pass.
Update: It turns out the quote Clinton's referring to was originally in The Times, not in another paper. Clinton presumably wants the paper to give this quote the kind of attention in the present that it's giving to Hillary's refusal to say her war vote was a mistake. He thinks it should be part of the current discussion. Again, not endorsing this position, merely reporting it.
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