Bill Clinton Gets Defensive In Interview About New Book

I admit I always had a soft spot for Bill Clinton, in spite of his personal shortcomings. That ended today. He was huckstering a novel he recently co-wrote with James Patterson called The President is Missing. Of course, all the major networks were all-too-willing to set aside some timeso he could plug his work. But even though the President in that novel, like Clinton himself, is impeached, it apparently never dawned on him that he might be questioned about his own predicament. He also never considered the application of the #metoo movement to his own situation.

These matters did dawn on NBC Today host Craig Melvin. Instead of sounding apologetic, he was defensive, just as he was when he lied about having had sex with "that" woman, Monica Lewinsky. He also played victim insisting that Trump "hasn't gotten anything like the coverage that you would expect" for the sordid allegations made against him.

Say what?

I'll agree with one point. Whether it is Trump or Clinton, The President is Missing.

Do Clinton and Callahan Care About Bethlehem Schools?

Johnny Casino's boys are gonna' be busy today. At Noon, Moveon.org will descend on LV Congressman Charlie Dent's Bethlehem office, demanding that he do something about evil corporations. Then, at 4 PM, Moveon and the LV Dem Coalition will be rapping on Dent's door again, this time for clean government. But they better hurry or they're going to miss a private reception for Bill Clinton at the Cindy Feinberg estate.

You won't get in the door unless you have lots of the green stuff. Or your name is Villani. Or Cantelmi. Or Brong.

So much for evil corporations and clean government.

Speaking of clean government, do you think that schools should be forced to subsidize political contests? How about schools that must increase taxes and lay off teachers?

Since Bill is going to be here anyway, can't John Callahan ask for his help to recover or pay the debt that Hillary Clinton has owed the taxpayers of the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD) for over two years? Hillary, accompanied by Callahan, visited Liberty High School on April 20, 2008, during the Presidential Primary. She incurred a bill of $15,082 to the school district’s taxpayers. Bill has previously offered to raffle himself off to help pay his wife's massive campaign debt. This seems like a perfect opportunity for Clinton to square the books with Bethlehem's school district.

It will mean a little less money for Callahan, but he'd want to help Bethlehem taxpayers, wouldn't he?

Repeated efforts to reach out to Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic Party in order to secure payment have been numerous and fruitless. Minutes from the BASD board meetings show that school administrators turned to John Callahan for assistance in collecting the debt as long ago as February of 2009.

The debt remains unpaid.

Recently, Anne M. Morton, the Board Treasurer of the BASD, sent a memo to Dennis Reichard, Bethlehem's business manager.



On Friday, the Dent Campaign called on Mayor Callahan to use monies raised at President Bill Clinton’s fundraiser for him to cut a check to the Bethlehem Area School District and settle the debt after over two years.

“Mayor Callahan has raised over $1,000,000 for his campaign,” Millan said. “He’s likely to raise a substantial amount of funds during President Clinton’s visit, why not take just $15,082 from that amount and make the school district’s taxpayers whole?”

The Dent campaign sent out a phone call today to people in the Bethlehem Area School District’s communities offering them the chance to contact John Callahan’s campaign office if they think he should pick up the bill.

Update: Callahan campaign manager has told The Morning Call that Callahan will say something to Clinton's staff. Why not Clinton himself? All Clinton has to do is ask donors to make contributions directly to Hillary's campaign, with the notation that the funds be earmarked to pay the debt to Bethlehem schools.
Updated 6:00 PM: Just a few short days ago, Callahan campaign manager Justin Schall was deriding attempts to collect the money owed to Bethlehem schools as "cheap politics." Well, it worked. The Morning Call has just reported that Hillary Clinton's campaign has finally, after two years, been shamed into paying the $15,082 owed.

Easton Red Rovers Enthusiastically Greet Bill Clinton

Despite a forty-five minute wait, an enthusiastic and diverse crowd greeted former President Bill Clinton early last night at Easton Area High School.

I dropped by after work today, expecting to be denied admission or shot on sight. But the lengthy line moved quickly, and I was inside the gym in a matter of minutes. No one was searched. I needed no ticket. I didn't need to know the "right" people. The place was packed with young and old - people of all colors - as diverse a group as you'll ever see in the Lehigh Valley. And the atmosphere was very much like an IronPigs game or a crowd of kids waiting on Christmas morning.

Easton's marching band played every song in its arsenal. After that, there was upbeat pop music playing in the background while self-important geeks in suits paraded up and down the gym, encouraging different cheers. They were the hot dogs, I guess. Periodically, the cavalry battle charge would sound. The only thing missing was Ferrous.

Finally, the moment had arrived. An anxious mob was introduced to Easton Mayor Sal Panto (a few boos) ... and President Bill Clinton. The place exploded. Easton is without question Clinton country, and Bill really seemed pleasantly surprised by how much people still love him here in the rust belt.

Eight years of George Bush does things like that.

I looked around the room, and everyone was on their feet. Even the youthful McCain "protesters," who had come brandishing signs for the Arizona senator, were respectfully applauding.

Unfortunately, Sal Panto had to make some opening remarks. Until about 90 minutes before the event, he had no idea he was to introduce the former prez. But Panto began a speech that made me think Hizzoner would be pretty good in Washington himself. He told us that President Clinton had strengthened America's cities with 100,000 police officers, while Bush added none. He lauded Hillary Clinton as a person who "cares not only about homeland security, but hometown security." It was a terrific speech, but Clinton was standing right by Sal, and people came for Bill.

"We want Bill" is the shout that went out. Sal wrapped things up and quickly introduced Clinton.

The place erupted again, and Bill finally had to tell people to sit down. Like me, he really liked Sal's opening remarks, and told him so. And then he was off.

He started with a very slight reference to Barack's belittling remarks that small town America clings to guns and religion, saying only that "little flap ... has really tickled me." He also groused that his daughter, Chelsea, had told the press her mom would be a much better president than him. "Did you ever see a family where the women don't stick together?" But then he admitted his daughter was actually right.

He reminded Eastonians that their city was the third place in the United States to announce the Declaration of Independence. And his whole speech was based on two parts of that document - the concept that all are created equal and that we should constantly be striving to form a "more perfect union."

With respect to equality, he noted the differences in the room, noting their beauty while stressing that "our common humanity matters more." And the idea of forming a more perfect union, he explained, should be interpreted as meaning that we must always try to make America a better place.

From there he springboarded into a detailed and somewhat cerebral discussion of our energy crisis, health care, home mortgage crisis and tax cuts for the wealthy.

With respect to our energy crisis, for example, he noted we need to repeal energy subsidies and fight global warming, which would actually create thousands of jobs for renovations to buildings and schools while saving us in energy costs. He claims the technology already exists to produce cars that operate at 100 mpg, and we need to make those cars ... here.

He calls them "hybrids on steroids."

He asked people who know someone without health insurance to raise their hands. It was nearly unanimous, which Clinton noted is sad for one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Hillary's health plan gives people the option of buying into the same plan available for federal employees. He also noted that thirty per cent of the cost of health care is consumed by inexcusable paperwork.

He continued with the same detail for every subject he discussed. He relied on no pious platitudes. Despite his obvious brilliance, he never condescended to us, but delivered detail after detail with a soft southern drawl.

I really like Barack Obama's message of hope, although some of his shiny armor is tarnished in my mind's eye. I like Hillary Clinton's practical solutions even more. On April 22, I'll be voting for her.

Newt's a Playa'

While going after Bill Clinton for his wandering ways, Newtie now tells us he was doing the same damn thing. That dawg!

"The honest answer is yes," Gingrich, a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with Focus on the Family founder James Dobson to be aired Friday, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press. "There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There's certainly times when I've fallen short of God's standards."