Who really wrote "It Takes a Village"

Not Hillary. Only a Clinton can accuse someone else of plagiarizing a couple of lines from historical speeches, while at the same time CONTINUING to claim that she was the author of the book - without crediting the true author.

The author described the writing process as follows:

"The actual writing experience of working on It Takes a Village with Mrs. Clinton was not extraordinary in any respect. Together with our editor, we produced drafts in a round-robin style. We worked well as a team and things went about as smoothly as can be expected when you're producing a high-profile book in eight months and one of you is married to the leader of the free world. The problem came when Mrs. Clinton decided, for reasons still a mystery to me, not to acknowledge my help, or that of anyone else by name. Because the White House had issued a press release early on in the process stating that I had been hired to "help prepare the manuscript," when it was finished and there was no mention of me in the acknowledgments, the anti-Clinton forces went to town."

The NY Times wrote:

"The book will actually be written by Barbara Feinman, a journalism professor at Georgetown University in Washington. Ms. Feinman will conduct a series of interviews with Mrs. Clinton, who will help edit the resulting text."

The WORST part about it is that Hillary put into the contract with the true author, a clause prohibiting the disclosure of the true nature of the relationship. So Hillary will go on and claim that she wrote the book, but the author is then contractually obligated not to disclose this fact! Not only is it the worst for m of plagiarism, it's fundamentally dishonest and tries to keep the truth from all of her adoring supporters - not to mention the committees that would end up giving her awards for the book.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE6DD1E31F931A15757C0A963958260
http://www.therant.us/staff/huston/2007/print/12042007.htm
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0702/S00084.htm



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Re:"It Takes a Village" (2.00 / 1)

The usual hypocracy from Hillaryland.  Ughh! I'm getting reminders of the White House china.

Barack atleast got the suggestion and permission from Gov. Patrick.


by mikelewis68 on Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 01:41:44 PM EST

Re: Who really wrote (2.00 / 1)

Perhaps we should look into who helped with Obama's books. Might turn up some interesting info.


by americanincanada on Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 01:46:02 PM EST

Re: (1.66 / 3)

Interesting that Biden did what Obama just did and it ended his presidential run. And he borrowed far less material.


by americanincanada on Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 01:57:34 PM EST

the point is (2.00 / 1)

that she's taking credit for "writing" a book that she did not. Feinman wrote the book and Clinton "edited" the manuscript.

It wasn't Feinman that disclosed that she was the writer - it was the NY Times. Feinman and many others were perplexed that Hillary didn't acknowledge her work, or that of the other writers, not that she thought Hillary should've disclosed that she only edited the manuscript.

Again, you guys are kicking up dust about a couple lines used by politicians that are friends, while Hillary has been, for more than 10 years, running around telling people she wrote "It takes a village" when it is patently false.

I'm not surprised by Clintonian hypocrisy - anyone that follows politics has probably already made their peace with it. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't point it out whenever it rears its ugly head.


by highgrade on Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 01:59:02 PM EST

the real story (none / 0)

You've hit on one of the reasons the DC elite, and the Washington Post in particular, hate Hillary:

Editors at Simon & Schuster reacted to early chapters with dismay, and worried about the quality of Feinman's contributions, but they kept their reactions private. Over the summer, a manuscript emerged, but neither the publisher nor Clinton's aides--nor, especially, Hillary herself--were pleased with it. When Feinman left for vacation, Clinton, a Simon & Schuster editor, and a few key aides, working on their own time, continued on the book without her. (Feinman fulfilled the terms of her contract, and was never told by the publisher that her work was unsatisfactory.) In November, the Simon & Schuster editor spent three weeks at the White House, working intensively to expand and refine the material with the aides and with Clinton, who filled yellow legal pads with incorrigibly wonky prose, in "round, schoolgirlish handwriting," the editor told me. In private, Clinton was strikingly relaxed, padding around the Book Room and Solarium in sweatpants and Coke-bottle glasses, the editor said, calling her "buttercup." Clinton's personality, the editor found, "is refreshingly sharp and clear--but she can't show it."

Keep spewing that good old malicious DC gossip, but don't expect many friends when they turn on your guy.


by souvarine on Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 02:50:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: the real story (2.00 / 1)

thanks. it's just more malicious clinton hate.


by campskunk on Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 03:23:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: crock of shit (2.00 / 1)

They hated her so much, they endorsed her.

A move I'm still trying to understand. There's no media bias against Hillary. For every complaint Clinton supporters have about the coverage, Obama supporters have an equally reasonable beef, for example, the weird way the media lumped in a non-binding POLL of superdelegates with the RESULTS of primary contests, in a way the disguised Obama's lead in delegates until the last possible moment.

Everybody's got a beef. The only people with true cause to complain are Edwards supporters -- he got ignored, and that wasn't right.


by EMTP democrat on Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 03:31:21 PM EST

who is more credible? (1.00 / 1)

Professor from Georgetown with no reason to lie or a politician who has shown no problem doing so?


by highgrade on Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 04:31:19 PM EST


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