Joe Scarborough
'The Real Deal' on Hillary's book deal
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Hillary hits the headlines, while Washington Democrats get another free pass for their hypocrisy.
WASHINGTON-TYPES are working overtime trying to explain the motives behind Sen. Hillary Clinton's book. Some say it was all for the money, others claim she wrote it to push along her career. Still others say the former first lady just wanted to tell her story to the American people.
We may never know the real reason Ms. Clinton chose to write her memoirs, but one thing is certain. Senator Hillary Clinton's $8 million book deal exposes as hypocrites both Democrats on Capitol Hill and media elites in Manhattan.
Democrats on and off the Ethics Committee are praising Hillary's book and saying she had every right to the $8 million dollar deal with Simon & Schuster and Viacom.
Ahh, but what were Democrats on the Hill saying a few years ago when then-speaker Newt Gingrich signed a deal for less than half of Hillary's book-deal bonanza?
A Democratic leader in the House blasted that deal as "an arrogant act" that puts private profits ahead of public business. And other Democrats launched an ethics investigation against Gingrich, because a member of Congress making money off a book supposedly disturbed them.
Even the Clinton White House questioned the speaker's ethics and made this statement on July 9, 1995: "Gingrich's advance raises some very important questions. This book deal needs to be looked at."
So where are the Democrats now, when a massive media conglomeration with big business before the senate writes Senator Clinton an $8 million check? Their shock and outrage is simply non-existent.
Tom Daschle could only offer a weak, "more power to her" comment, while the Democratic vice-chair of the Ethics Committee said he thinks the multimillion-dollar deal with the Viacom-owned company is "wonderful."
Wonderful? More power to her? Curious responses to say the least.
Where are all those so-called journalists who bashed the Republican speaker for his book deal? Is it really so hard to hold Hillary Clinton to the same standard they held to Newt Gingrich?
Well, it shouldn't be, considering that the only difference between the two deals is that Hillary raked in twice as much cash as Gingrich.
Where's the shock? Where's the outrage? Where's CBS news when you need them?
Are they censoring this story because Viacom owns both Dan Rather's newscast and Hillary Clinton's publishing company? Or is it just another example of the media bias that infects our most powerful media outlets?
It's a very fair question that deserves a straight answer. But so far, all we're getting is double talk from Democrats and double standards from the Washington press.
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Former Congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.) hosts “Scarborough Country,” 10 p.m. ET, weeknights on MSNBC. Comment by clicking here.
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