Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 12, 2008 3:35:00 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Inside Clinton's Dysfunctional War Machine

Posted Jul 1, 08 2:26 PM CDT in Glossies,  Politics 

(Newser) – There are many reasons for Hillary Clinton’s primary defeat, and most of them can be found within the political warrior and the creaking war machine she built, Gail Sheehy writes in Vanity Fair. Invoking the Lincoln administration, Clinton called her bickering advisers a “team of rivals.” Craving secrecy and shaped by White House battle scars, she chose a trustworthy cabal of loyalists—who hated each other.

Though the hierarchy was disastrously unclear, Mark Penn’s constant call to attack, to be “tougher than any man,” caught Clinton’s ear. It appealed to the natural fighter in her. “What Bill doesn’t understand is, you’ve got to do the same thing: pound the Republican attack machine and run against the press,” she told Sheehy in 1992. Faced with an opponent who refused to attack, Hillary crumbled.

Source Vanity Fair

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Hillary Raises Big Money for Obama

    Oct 6, 08 1:15 PM CDT
    Hillary Raises Big Money for Obama Hillary Clinton has raised more than $8 million since July for Barack Obama, USA Today reports, and has hit 40 Obama campaign events in the past 2 months. She’ll headline two more Obama fundraisers this month, plus 11 events for other Democratic candidates. But while she’s raising money for others, her own campaign still owes $9 million to various vendors. More »

  • Clintons Cool to Obama After Hillary Snub

    Oct 2, 08 10:39 AM CDT
    Clintons Cool to Obama After Hillary Snub Bill and Hillary Clinton are doing little to help elect Barack Obama because the Democratic nominee “balked” at promising Hillary a Supreme Court judgeship, insiders tell the New York Post. “Hillary wants an assurance that if she shows loyalty and goes out there like a good soldier, she will be rewarded with a nomination,” a source said; Clinton reps denied it. More »

  • All Hail Paul, 'Ultimate Cool Guy'

    Sep 28, 08 5:43 AM CDT
    All Hail Paul, 'Ultimate Cool Guy' E! Online published a list of high-profile tributes in remembrance of Paul Newman's death Friday. Here are some highlights:

    • "He set the bar too high for the rest of us. Not just actors, but all of us." —George Clooney
    • "Paul Newman was the ultimate cool guy who men wanted to be like and women adored." —Arnold Schwarzenegger
    More »

  • Fear of Lefty Obama Gets Bill Behind Mac

    Sep 26, 08 4:50 PM CDT
    Fear of Lefty Obama Gets Bill Behind Mac If Bill Clinton seems to be sabotaging Barack Obama's campaign, it may not only be for Hillary's presumed 2012 run, but because he prefers John McCain, Roger Simon writes in Pajamas Media. Since "showing up" Obama with his convention speech, Clinton has been "lavishing praise" on McCain and defending his desire to delay tonight’s debate—perhaps because he “wants Obama to lose.” More »

  • Hillary Didn't Really Want VP Slot: Bill

    Sep 22, 08 6:48 PM CDT
    Even as rumors continue to bounce around the Internet that Hillary Clinton could end up on the Democratic ticket, she never wanted to—and would only have accepted the VP slot out of a sense of duty, Bill Clinton said on The View today. “Not really, she didn’t,” Bill said when asked by Barbara Walters of his wife’s inclinations, ABC reports.
    More »

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks at a campaign event in Watertown, S.D. Thursday, May 29, 2008.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Hillary Rodham Clinton listens during the Pelham Preparatory Academy Class of 2008 Commencement Celebration, Sunday, June 22, 2008 at Fordham University in the Bronx borough of New York.   (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
Hillary Rodham Clinton pauses as she speaks during the Pelham Preparatory Academy Class of 2008 Commencement Celebration, Sunday June 22, 2008 at Fordham University in the Bronx borough of New York.   (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
In this May 30, 2008 file photo, former President Bill Clinton delivers his remarks at the announcement of the formation of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, in New York.   (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 2)

Tags

Hillary Clinton  • Bill Clinton  • Clinton 2008  • Mark Penn  • Hillaryland


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Politics Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »