Obama’s new pal in Hollywood puts the boot into the Clintons, reports edward helmore |
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With so many characters, histories and circuitous storylines to follow, and so many fake smiles and so much false sincerity, the race for 2008 political nominations has already become weirdly passive, almost theoretical. But yesterday, finally, we got an early punch-up that sets the stage for some epic brawls ahead.
In this round, Mrs Clinton was hit hard. She is hurt, she is angry and she is being forced to confront the worst aspects of her husband's political character – vain, self-serving and unreliable. Last month, on an early trip to Iowa, Clinton told her audience that "when you're attacked, you have to deck your opponents." Over the next few days, we'll see what kind of counterpunch Mrs Clinton, in her pantsuit, can deliver.
The antagonist of the drama is David Geffen, the Hollywood mogul and political fixer. Having been a stalwart supporter of the |
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| David Geffen said Hillary Clinton was unelectable and ‘incredibly polarising’ |
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Clintons, Geffen (left) threw a pre-Oscar A+ list party in Malibu for Barack Obama. It raised $1.3m for the Illinois senator and signaled Hollywood is solidly behind the young man with the movie star looks and easy charm.
But what really raised Clinton's hounds of hell were Geffen's comments to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. He essentially said Hillary was unelectable. But he went further: he called her "incredibly polarising" before turning on her husband.
Calling him "a reckless guy", who had given his enemies ample stout sticks with which to beat him, he even suggested Bill Clinton's personal habits would yet damage his wife's campaign, hinting at further skeletons in the cupboard. Referring to the couple, Geffen added: "Everybody in politics lies, but they do it with such ease, it's troubling."
Barack was always going to be a problem for Clinton, but by turning Hollywood against her, Geffen has opened up a new front and this, one can be sure, will be the talk of the town over this Oscar weekend. 
FIRST POSTED FEBRUARY 22, 2007
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