This is becoming complicated, so I think I need to break it down for my own benefit. Either Jim Webb is lying or Lynne Cheney is. Let’s look at the facts only of the case.
The accusation: Jim Webb accuses Lynne of writing a book with “lesbian love affair, brothels, and attempted rapes.”
The denial/counter accusation: Lynne Cheney says Jim Webb is a liar and pervert who writes nasty books, and she does not and never has written anything of the sort.
The evidence: The back cover of the book Sisters describes women treated as “decorative figurines or as abject sexual vassals”, “prostitutes pandered to husbands' hungers”, and women banned together for the “for the love they wanted.”
The verdict: Lynne Cheney lied to Blitzer and the description of her book as having “a lesbian love affair, brothels and attempted rapes" is accurate.
I have to wonder, though, if she knows she is lying. She may just be pathological and unaware. Perhaps one can only live in denial of reality for so long before one forgets what reality really is. I do not know and should not care.
To be honest, why exactly does anyone want to know what Lynne Cheney thinks about Webb or any other subject? Who elected her to anything ever? Who elected any Washington wife to any position of authority? Why should their opinion matter more than mine or anyone else’s? This is not sexist either because I feel the same way about the husbands, but “Washington Spouses” sounds so weird.
Tipper Gore, Nancy Reagan, Laura Bush, Lynne Cheney: no one elected you to anything, ever. Being married to a powerful person does not make you powerful! I do not understand why the media gives you an outlet for influence, but it must stop.
BLITZER: This is an opportunity for you to explain on these sensitive issues.
CHENEY: Wolf, I have nothing to explain. Jim Webb has a lot to explain.
You are part right Lynne, you have nothing to explain and should have no format to explain it. You are not running for ANYTHING let alone running against Jim Webb. Your influence does not extend past your vote.
Article comments
1 - Nancy
On the contrary, she should be held to account, because the GOP is using her as political spin; if she accepts being used in that context, and her opinions bruited about as condemning Webb, then she in turn becomes licensed political fodder, suitable for analysis, exposure, and attack. She's only exempt IF she stays out of the fight entirely. She didn't, so she's fair game.
2 - handyguy
Lynne Cheney has for many years had a ferocious voice as a outspoken cultural conservative, even before she was our least likable 2nd Lady. She can be even scarier than her husband. Besides having written a trashy novel that happens to include woman-to-woman romance, Lynne also has a rather famous lesbian daughter. And who can forget how the three of them pretended to be shocked and offended when John Kerry mentioned this in a debate. Awful people.
It's always fun to watch hypocrites squirm, and when even a bland doorstop like Wolf Blitzer manages to make Lynne uncomfortable, we can all have a little chortle at least.
3 - Nancy
People like the Cheneys are sociopaths: they are incapable of shame or any other emotion having to do with honesty or empathy. It IS rather amazing to encounter a whole family of them, tho.
4 - Peter J
Na,
people like them hang in bunches,
kinda like bananas,
which you could say are phallic,
kinda like a Dick,
who is Lynne Cheney's husband,
who hangs around a Bush,
who is a real pain in the ass,
I was going somewhere with this but my meds kicked in
5 - Dave Nalle
But did the bearded gnome ask Lynne Cheney the key question - would she let her grandchildren read Sisters. If she answered 'no' to that question then she's perfectly within her rights to criticize Webb and/or Imus.
Dave
6 - Brad Schader
Dave, I disagree with you, respectfully of course. She does not live in the state where Webb is running. She has zero interest in that race. She is not elected to any GOP position so she serves no function there either. This is purely a bored Washington wife sticking her nose in again. I have not been this pissed at the Political Spouse club since Tipper and her PMRC bullshyte.
7 - Dave Nalle
But as a fellow novelist doesn't she have a right to hold a literary opinion?
Dave
8 - Baronius
To be fair, she may never have been elected, but she's been nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. She's not just a Washington wife.
I'll admit that I'm a fan of Lynne Cheney, but I thought she destroyed Blitzer. He was insanely partisan, and she called him on it repeatedly. I saw the interview on CNN.com, labelled "Sex, Torture, and Children's Books" (not that CNN is framing the story or anything). They talked about CNN's "Broken Government" special (again, no bias there). He showed a tape from from a Webb statement on Washington Post Radio, and read from a DNSC press release. It was absurd.
9 - Brad Schader
Dave,
A literary opinion yes. A political one? No.
Bar,
I do not know if she destroyed Wolf or the other way around. I am no fan of either one, but the fact remains she flat out lied. She is a hypocrite.
10 - Dave Nalle
Is not thinking incest is suitable reading material for kids a political opinion now? Which is the pro-incest party, Brad?
Dave
11 - Baronius
Brad, I don't know that she did lie. Webb accused her of writing "explicit" sex scenes, if I recall correctly. She was responding to the depiction of her book as explicit. She clearly didn't want to go into details about the book, but her statement would be accurate if the sex scenes in the book weren't explicit. At least that's what I got out of it. And I don't think I've ever read a sex scene written by a female author that compares with the average male's writing.
Also, to my recollection, Webb brought her name into the argument before she said anything. Allen attacks Webb, Webb attacks Lynne Cheney. I hear that the whole campaign has been this trivial and malicious. I made a comment under the Duncan Hunter article that conservatives were looking for a decent candidate. It could have been Allen, but he's campaigned so poorly that I can't imagine him running in 2008.
12 - Brad Schader
Who exactly is marketing this book to kids? Allow me to reintroduce some words from the above story:Must we always hide behind the children for everything?
13 - Brad Schader
Bar,
She is not denying explicit sex, she is denying lesbian characters.
BLITZER: It did have lesbian characters.
CHENEY: This " no, not necessarily. This description is a lie.
14 - Baronius
[Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Don't tell me that the ether ate that whole posting. It took half an hour to write.]
Brad, just let me say that I saw the interview differently. Lynne Cheney's comment to the effect of "my book was not explicit and I'm standing by that" made me believe that in the midst of Blitzer's point-by-point reading of the DNSC release, she was objecting to the overall description of "Sisters" as obscene. I think if you watch the interview without assuming that she's lying, you'll come to the same conclusion.
[That whole posting! Stinkin' internet.]