Really, guys?
Lynne Cheney's media blitz continues as she promotes her new book and her family's political message at the same time, and of course she just had to weigh in on the Monica Lewinsky story in
Vanity Fair. Because Lynne Cheney's thoughts on Monica Lewinsky are the kind of
hot current news we all need to know about:
“I really wonder if this isn’t an effort on the Clintons’ part to get that story out of the way,” Lynne Cheney said during an interview on “The O’Reilly Factor” Tuesday night. Would Vanity Fair publish anything of Monica Lewinsky that Hillary Clinton wouldn’t want in Vanity Fair?”
Is there some specific reason we're supposed to believe that
Vanity Fair checks with Hillary Clinton on every story it runs, or is this a generic "har har the liberal media" kind of claim? Also, why would Hillary want to rehash what had to be a very painful time in her life, again?
Cheney said that releasing the story in 2014 would allow Clinton to run for president and say the story is “old news” once the 2016 presidential campaign kicks into full gear.
Um. Yeah. I don't think the fact that Monica Lewinsky happens to have been in the news in 2014 is what makes the story old news. I think it's the fact that the story dates back to the 1990s to begin with. It is just about the definition of "old news." Now. In 2014. In 2016, it will be two years older news.
But Cheney has lots of company at Fox News, with at least four Fox hosts or guests hinting around the idea that Hillary Clinton would for some reason want this story aired now. Even if we say that Clinton would benefit from one more airing of the entire Lewinsky story prior to 2016 (and really, isn't the entire episode pretty well baked into America's view of the Clintons by now?), it's not clear why now is especially politically powerful. Why not six months ago? That would make the rehash even older news, if what Clinton is supposedly looking for is for this to feel like old news. (Which it does. Because, again, 1990s.)