The Clinton “Kiss My Ass” Story

10:23 am EST June 29th, 2008 | Media | 12 Comments

Interestingly the story uses that quote in the headline, but nowhere in the story does it quote President Clinton directly saying it. In fact it is a quote from “friends”. The Daily Telegraph is using National Enquirer rules on this story.

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12 Responses to “The Clinton “Kiss My Ass” Story”

  1. Sean D. Martin says:
    June 29, 2008 at 11:13 am

    A senior Democrat who worked for Mr Clinton has revealed that he recently told friends Mr Obama could “kiss my ass” in return for his support.

    Granted Clinton didn’t say it directly to the reporter, but this kind of one-step-removed hearsay is common all over the news. Every single time a spokesperson says something, as a matter of fact.

    Are we to disregard every place anyone ever isn’t directly quoted?

    Between this and your dinging Brian Williams for something a reading of the actual article clearly shows he didn’t say your credibility on media criticism is taking a beating this week.

  2. DavidinMD says:
    June 29, 2008 at 11:52 am

    I see what Sean is saying, but this is one anonymous source saying another anonymous person told them Clinton made the comment. That’s what, two degrees of separation? It’d be a bit more credible if it was just an unnamed source making the quote straight from the horse’s mouth, but the more you filter this coffee, the weaker it gets. I’m far from a defender of Bill Clinton; in fact I’d believe he did say this – if we got some better confirmation other than “This one guy told me that his friend told me that Bill said…” I’ll reserve judgment for now and wait to see what develops.

  3. Sean D. Martin says:
    June 29, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    but this is one anonymous source saying another anonymous person told them Clinton made the comment.

    That’s not the reading I get. I interpreted this as the “senior Democrat” being present when Clinton made his comment to friends. I think you have to read something into it to see it as senior Democrat saying “I heard it from a friend who was there”.

  4. Oliver Willis says:
    June 29, 2008 at 12:35 pm

    Williams is still clueless, and this article quotes Clinton in the headline yet the reporter didn’t hear him say it.

  5. Sean D. Martin says:
    June 29, 2008 at 12:50 pm

    Williams is still clueless
    Which is beside the point of you just having it wrong. But don’t acknowledge that.

    this article quotes Clinton in the headline yet the reporter didn’t hear him say it.

    Wha-hat? Reporters don’t hear many quotes that they report on. Hence the existence of spokespeople and all the items attributed to “a high White House official” et al. The headline doesn’t claim Clinton said something and then provide no evidence he actually said it. It quotes someone who apparently heard it said. Yes, it’s one step removed from Clinton, but this is by no means uncommon or inappropriate.

  6. C.S.Strowbridge says:
    June 29, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    “Wha-hat? Reporters don’t hear many quotes that they report on.”

    But a headline quotes? There’s a difference between reporting on something that is twice-removed from the reporter and putting it in the headline.

  7. Parthenon says:
    June 29, 2008 at 1:18 pm

    I read somewhere (how’s that for hearsay) a while back that this sort of thing is par for the course in British journalism, that their readers are expected to be savvier than their American counterparts and be able to separate the solid from the shaky. Supposedly they more freely mix opinion into their work, and Brits are just used to it. Can’t confirm it, just throwing it out there.

  8. Randy Brown says:
    June 30, 2008 at 5:45 am

    I hear on the radio that the “senior official” is Ed Rendell. If true…

    When he was Philly mayor, Rendell co-hosted a special screening of “Rocky Horror”. Me and about 300 others got to call Hizzonor “asshole”. It was friendly ball-busting then…but now, he seems to be earning that name.

  9. Gina says:
    June 30, 2008 at 9:33 am

    Kudos to Bill Clinton. It disgusted me how the Obama campaign discredited Bill Clinton and used the race card against him. Clinton was a good President for 8 years. A President who accomplished a great deal, including 8 years of peace and prosperity. Obama is an upstart who hasn’t really accomplished anything, except packaging himself, selling himself to the American public, and trying to buy the Presidency. Obama and his supporters have no credibility, they will say and do anything to get elected.

  10. Sean D. Martin says:
    June 30, 2008 at 12:24 pm

    Gina: Obama and his supporters have no credibility

    Damn. Broke my best knife trying to cut thru that irony, it’s so thick.

  11. Duros62 says:
    June 30, 2008 at 12:36 pm

    Yup, gotta agree. Clinton was the best republican President since Lincoln.

  12. ARYA says:
    July 6, 2008 at 12:11 am

    Clinton was best candidate but now she is not.I think she has to support for Obama;instead of making these type of statements,this could even effect her image among youths.