Loneliness, Lies & Videotape

"So what was the point of the Allen campaign's attack on Webb? Does Allen actually think women should be in direct combat? If so, what current combat exemptions does he want lifted?"

No matter what shameful thing you've done, in America you can always write a book. Which prompts Betsy's Page to observe:

"Can you think of anything you want to read less than former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey's memoirs of how he came out as a gay man or how he cheated on his wife while she was in the hospital after having their baby? Even getting the sympathetic Cliff Notes from watching Oprah would be a wasted hour. Perhaps there are some out there who care about the confessions of our nation's first gay governor who gave his lover a job protecting New Jersey's security, but I can't imagine that there is a huget number of them out there. And it can't be a good thing for New Jersey Democrats in an election year to have his corruption out there reminding voters of all the problems they've experienced with the Democrats in that state. Tom Kean could be paying for McGreevey's PR tour."

The Philadelphia Inquirer checks in on the ex-governor:

"The book has been billed as a tale of struggle and redemption, but its author has already had trouble drumming up sympathy. As excerpts leaked out in the last week, describing 'boastful, passionate, whispering, masculine' trysting while his wife recovered from childbirth, politicians and taxpayers denounced McGreevey, using words such as pathetic and disgraceful ."

I can think of a few more I'd add.

I wrote about this Clinton lunch last week, and now, at Firedoglake, new detail from Christy Hardin Smith , who attended with her blogging colleague Jane Hamsher:

"It turns out that Bill Clinton got started reading blogs by his daughter, who told him that he really needed to check out the independent reporting and analysis that was being done on the web. And he did . . . and, according to Peter Daou, who did much of the coordination for the meeting, President Clinton really loves reading blogs. Who knew?!?

"So, the call came in last week with the invitation to go up to New York and meet with the Big Dawg -- but we were asked to keep the meeting off the record, it was just going to be a meet and greet, no more than an hour . . . your basic, 'Hello, you know I'm out there, I know you're out there, perhaps we can do something together in the future' sort of thing.

"Jane and I decided to go -- as if a meeting with a former president is something you just blow off (that would be rude!) -- and we wanted to emphasize the need for better messaging and coordination/cooperation with blogs and the Democratic leadership, who seem to constantly be trying to work at cross-purposes with all of us. (Hello?!? We're here to help, and we aren't charging you a dime for it -- and we actually care if you win, unlike some of the consultant rat holes you keep pouring your money into every election cycle. Wake up!)"

Can a Clinton blog be far behind?