Exclusive! Hillary Shares A Few Details
by MELVIN DURAI
Hillary Clinton's long-awaited memoir "Living History" has shot to the top of the bestseller list, attracting readers of all stripes ? Democrats who love nonfiction books, as well as Republicans eager for some good fiction.
An astounding 200,000 people bought the book the first day, plunking down $28 to relive the Clinton years (1992-2000), a period known to many Americans as "the last time we had jobs."
To promote the book, the former first lady, who will receive $8 million from the publisher, has already granted a dozen interviews to the media, all of them exclusive. NBC's Katie Couric got the exclusive morning interview, CNN's Larry King got the exclusive live interview, and ABC's Barbara Walters got the exclusive fluff interview. And I'm proud to bring you the exclusive humor-column interview.
MELVIN: "Welcome to my column, Senator Clinton. Without wasting any time, let's get to the juicy stuff. When you heard about your husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky, how badly did you beat him up? And who administered the first aid?"
CLINTON: "Well, I was furious. I wanted to wring his neck. I wanted to kick his butt. I wanted to cut off his you-know-what."
M: "How did you resist?"
C: "Compassion. Kindness. Mercy. And the fact that the Secret Service was nearby."
M: "Soon after that, you and your husband went on vacation to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. Is that where you kissed and made up?"
C: "No, not at all. I was still seething. Buddy, the dog, came along to give Bill company. And to remind him what might happen to him if he couldn't control his urges."
M: "Ouch! Do you think he got the message?"
C: "Well, he didn't have another affair, did he? It helped, of course, that I marked all his underwear with a special message: ?Go ahead, make my day.'"
M: "You've written extensively about the Lewinsky scandal, but you haven't discussed your husband's previous affairs with Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers and other women."
C: "The book is 562 pages. How long did you want it to be? If I had the energy to recount every affair, I'd need to publish a series. It would be like Harry Potter, but with more tricks."
M: "You haven't written much about your daughter, Chelsea, either. Don't you think the public deserves to know what she did in the White House, whom she dated, and where she got her hair done?"
C: "No, I don't think so. I've always tried to keep Chelsea out of the spotlight. I respect her privacy. Besides, she said to me, ?Mom, please don't write about me in your book. I deserve my own million-dollar book deal.'"
M: "What about the controversial pardons your husband granted just before leaving office? You didn't even mention them."
C: "Well, I did write about one pardon ? the pardon I gave him. That was the pardon everyone wanted to know about. That was the most controversial pardon."
M: "Final question, Senator Clinton. Political analysts say you are gearing up for a presidential run in 2008. Is America finally ready for a female president?"
C: "Yes, I think America is ready. I'm just not sure if I'm ready. Bill is already lobbying to be Secretary of State. But with his history, I'm not sure if I should put him in charge of foreign affairs."
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