Joe Conason

about how the press is still avoiding the news from Blumenthal's book while idiotically analyzing Hillary Clinton's new book.

Snips:

"The punditry's preoccupation with the trivial has been relentless and embarrassingly mindless: Was it true Chris Matthews once sought employment as the President's press secretary? Did the late Michael Kelly really curse aloud when angry? How did Mr. Blumenthal explain Bill Clinton's 'relationship' with Monica Lewinsky? And finally, does he think the Clintons 'love' him as much as he 'loves' them?"

...

"Conservative outrage about Mr. Clinton's sins was quite selective, as the wronged ex-wife of his nemesis, Newt Gingrich, could (and perhaps someday will) testify. For the Republican caucus controlled by Texas Representative Tom DeLay, the opportunity to destroy a President they hated was simply an irresistable exercise of power.

"As Representative Peter King, a Republican opponent of impeachment, told Mr. Blumenthal: 'Coming out of the [midterm] election, everyone thought impeachment was dead...It was over. Then DeLay assumed control...In most districts in the country, a majority was against impeachment, maybe a majority of Republicans. But a majority who voted in Republican primaries was for impeachment. When you put individual members under the gun, a lot of them could get killed in a primary. That was the way [Mr. DeLay] did it.'

"The book also contains revealing remarks by former House impeachment manager James Rogan, and scathing recollections of Mr. Starr from a couple of his former prosecutors. Meanwhile the press--whose poor performance is revealed in the pages of The Clinton Wars--won't report any such troubling news. They were never much interested in that side of the Clinton story--and still aren't."