Hillary Clinton is standing by her man once again. This time, it has been revealed, she’s making excuses for former prez and all-around good-time guy Bill Clinton by claiming his mother abused him as a child -- and that’s why he can’t keep himself from having sex with other women.
To be fair, most of this isn’t exactly news. The original interview in which Hillary 'fessed up about her hubby’s abusive past came out in 1999, one year after Bill was impeached for having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky and then lying about it while he was in the White House. But the original interview omitted quite a few telling quotes that are about to surface, thanks to a new memoir being released next month by the journalist who spoke with the love-her-or-hate-her presidential hopeful.
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Lucinda Franks says Hillary wouldn’t get into detail about exactly what happened to Bill when he was a child, but she had no problem calling his mom, Virginia Kelley, a "doozy." Hillary apparently said point blank that Virginia abused Bill "in ways you wouldn't believe" and that this resulted in Bill forever searching for another mother figure.
Are we to assume that Hillary is the mother figure, but that Bill can’t remain faithful to her because he never learned how to love a woman? Or was the former Secretary of State trying to say that all of the women Bill lusts after are women he wishes would take care of him the way his mom never did?
Oh, who knows? The crucial point here is that Hillary is making excuses for Bill, and why? Is it because her political aspirations are so strong that she is willing to say anything to make it seem like she wasn’t a woman who valued her career over her dignity?
Trust me, it upsets me to say this because I respect a great many things about Hillary. She is forced to take so much abuse for being a woman who remained with a philanderer. No man who actually does the cheating -- including Bill -- has been scrutinized as much as Hillary has for making the choice to stay with her husband. And, whatever her reason for staying in the marriage -- whether for love, money, career, whatever -- it is HER reason and it really isn't our business.
But why did she feel the need to say anything at all? Just plead the fifth. Just tell the media that your marriage is sacred and not up for discussion and leave it at that.
I think Hillary is far too smart to believe what she is saying. Behind closed doors, I highly doubt she actually excuses Bill’s infidelity by placing the blame on his mother. And I really, really wish she would stop trying to make the public believe she believes this crap -- I’d respect her a whole lot more if she’d be honest. Or silent.
Heck, I’d probably even vote for her.
Do you think Hillary’s excuse for why Bill cheated is a valid one?
Image ©Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Corbis