“The President’s attackers are a motley band, consisting primarily of perjuring partisan politicians, strumpets, hags, bitter old segregationists, hired guns for cigarette companies, felons, judges who traded favors for jobs, bitter, defeated, pathetic former political rivals, Hillary-hating misogynists, wacko billionaires, gay-bashers, hate radio hucksters, mother-subpoenaing prosecutors, and mother-suing nutcases, all feeding an endless line of lies and half-truths to jealous journalists, envious editorialists, curmudgeonly columnists, and cranky commentators more concerned with their own self-importance and trashing the good name of a great President than the truth.”
Those words were written by James Carville back in 1998 and it seems like little has changed. …And the Horse He Rode In On was Carville’s “defense” of Bill Clinton against the accusations and charges of Kenneth Starr’s investigation. Starr went on to have a checkered career. On May 26, 2016, following an investigation into the mishandling by Starr of several sexual assaults at the school, Baylor University’s Board of Regents announced that Starr’s tenure as university President would end on May 31, 2016. It seems like Starr was just not a very good investigator.
If you’re in the mood for a blistering defense of Bill Clinton by a true political professional, James Carville’s classic little book still resonates in our divided country. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction: I Meet the Independent Counsel — 9
He Crawled from the Deep: Ken Starr and Whitewater — 21
Follow the Money: Whitewater and the Right Wing Payola — 51
Follow the Money 2: Arkansas Troopers and Right-Wing Payola — 61
Starr Wars: The Independent Counsel’s Abuses of Power — 66
Just Following Orders: Ken Starr’s Underlings — 82
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?: Ken Starr’s Chronic Media Leaks — 86
The Rabid Watchdog: What Happened to Our Media? — 109
The President’s Character — 113
Conclusion: The People v. Ken Starr — 123
Appendix A: Who Got Paid by Whom to Say and Do What — 128
Appendix B: More Opinions on Ken Starr — 134
Appendix C: Sixty Reasons Why I Don’t Trust Ken Starr’s Investigation — 143
Appendix D: Star Gets Both Feet in His Mouth — 148
Appendix E: Help Make Ken Starr’s Life Easier — 151
Appendix F: Questions for Ken Starr — 152
Appendix G: Where There’s Smoke There’s Smoke — 154
Afterward: The Starr Report — 156
And Finally…. — 165
Notes — 171
Starr is, and always has been, a sanctimonious piece of shit. If he’s never quite achieved the loathsome level of Mitch McConnell and a handful of others, it’s only because he’s never had sufficient power to do damage on that level.
Michael, Starr also lacked the Evil Genius gene Trump and McConnell possess. Starr had to make do with the Evil Henchman gene.
I fear Carville’s assessment of Starr and of the “motley band” of attackers is too generous. But then, I am an old cranky-pants. Hey, you danged party-before-country yoobs — get off my lawn!
Jerry, James Carville skewers politicians and their assorted minions in …AND THE HORSE HE RODE IN ON. Brilliant political operative!
If the rest of the book is like the paragraph you quoted, “blistering” is putting it mildly.
Dan, James Carville doesn’t hold back on his attack on politicos and their hangers-on.
What Michael Said. Love James Carville, hate Ken Starr, but have no need to rehash this one more time. If Bill Clinton didn’t screw around with other women, Starr and co. wouldn’t have had the opening they did to parade this circus before the public.
Jeff, there’s a lot a blame to pass around. Clinton’s transgression opened the door to Starr’s “investigation” and added to the damage to Hillary.
What Jeff said: as much as I hate what the GOP did back in the 1990s (and has continued to do since then), it was Clinton’s reckless behavior that opened the door, allowing Starr et. al. to waltz right on in. I voted for Clinton (twice), but there’s no doubt he had “zipper problems.”
Deb, a lot of men have “zipper problems.” Jeff Bezos is a prime example. But there are many, many more:
Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe.
Hugh Grant and a sex worker. …
LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian. …
Madonna and Alex Rodriguez. …
Hank Baskett and a model. …
Jesse James and multiple women. …
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mildred Baena. ..
I would be interested in a defense of Clinton because it seems to me he was reckless in sexual matters and also a poor President in other areas. I heard him speak at the Clinton Presidency Conference at Hofstra College and he mounted defenses of things like Waco (Reno’s fault) and African atrocities where the US did nothing. Rwanda was because he was too sad over his mother’s death. *Former President Clinton said he never knew the extent of suffering during Rwanda’s genocide. But America’s diplomats on the ground knew exactly what was happening — and they told Washington. Also sad to have him usher out almost all welfare programs and begin the deluge of pharmaceutial commericials we are now inundated with on TV. Sure he looks good compared to Bush and Trump but not compared to Obama.
Patti, Bill Clinton had many positive impulses, but he was brought down by his flaws. He certainly was a better President than Bush or Trump.
NO POLITICS
It’s a beautiful summery morning, the sun is shining, the birds are singing. A good time to smile.
NO POLITICS
Rick, but behind the beautiful summery morning and smiles…there’s Mordor!
Clinton’s sexual predations were a small part of his crimes. He, and Hitlery, were corrupt to the core!