Monica Lewinsky speaks out, says she was made ‘scapegoat’

[Dos Equis]

I forgot she was only 23 when this happened.   

Monica Lewinsky speaks out, says she was made ‘scapegoat’
Published May 06, 2014
FoxNews.com

Monica Lewinsky is shown in this Dec. 5, 2006 file photo at an event in New York.AP

Monica Lewinsky, now 40 and 17 years removed from her affair with then-President Bill Clinton, is speaking out -- offering what could be uncomfortable details as Hillary Clinton is thought to be preparing a White House run.

Lewinsky has penned an account for Vanity Fair, excerpts of which were published Tuesday. In it, she recalls the humiliation she endured and accuses the Clinton administration and others of making her a "scapegoat."

"The Clinton administration, the special prosecutor's minions, the political operatives on both sides of the aisle, and the media were able to brand me," she wrote. "And that brand stuck, in part because it was imbued with power."

Still, Lewinsky wrote that the affair was consensual.

"Sure, my boss took advantage of me, but I will always remain firm on this point: it was a consensual relationship. Any 'abuse' came in the aftermath, when I was made a scapegoat in order to protect his powerful position," she said.

Lewinsky said she "deeply" regrets what happened between her and the leader of the free world. As for her silence all these years, she acknowledged "buzz" that she was paid off but insisted "nothing could be further from the truth."

Lewinsky said her notoriety for years has hurt her ability to get the kind of job she wants. She said she interviewed for communications jobs but was often told she wasn't "quite right" for the position, or was courted just to help companies get media attention.

Lewinsky revealed that she was "suicidal" during the height of the Clinton administration scandal, though never actually tried to kill herself. As for why she's coming forward, she said she wants to "get involved with efforts on behalf of victims of online humiliation and harassment and to start speaking on this topic in public forums."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/05/06/monica-lewinsky-speaks-out-says-was-made-scapegoat/

[OzmO]

Yeah 23 is such an easy age to make major mistakes in life.

[Dos Equis]

Yeah 23 is such an easy age to make major mistakes in life.

Yep.  They are old enough to know better, but they are still developing.  Can be easy prey for someone much older and more sophisticated. 

[240 is Back]

Yeah 23 is such an easy age to make major mistakes in life.

sorry, I don't buy it.

She was sucking off a married man.  She knew exactly what she was doing.  She was interfering with the most public marriage in the world. 

It's easy to play the victim, but I'd have more respect if she would have just said own it.  Being 23 means you are an adult.  You can fight wars, buy alcohol, be a millionaire or go to prison.  Own it.  Pathetic to hear "so-and-so was young, just experimenting with drugs" or "she was naive and young, didn't know better".

Sorry, no dice.  She was an adult, and acting very disrespectful.  Thi reminds me of when Mccain tried to defend his use of the C-word, angrily yelled at his wife, when he was "only 55".... Yes, you've grown so much since then.  Ugh.  Age is the ultimate wimpy excuse.  If you're an adult, whether you're 18 or 33 or 55 or 72, you're an adult.  Period.

[catracho]

I would hit it and cum on her dress.

[OzmO]

sorry, I don't buy it.

She was sucking off a married man.  She knew exactly what she was doing.  She was interfering with the most public marriage in the world. 

It's easy to play the victim, but I'd have more respect if she would have just said own it.  Being 23 means you are an adult.  You can fight wars, buy alcohol, be a millionaire or go to prison.  Own it.  Pathetic to hear "so-and-so was young, just experimenting with drugs" or "she was naive and young, didn't know better".

Sorry, no dice.  She was an adult, and acting very disrespectful.  Thi reminds me of when Mccain tried to defend his use of the C-word, angrily yelled at his wife, when he was "only 55".... Yes, you've grown so much since then.  Ugh.  Age is the ultimate wimpy excuse.  If you're an adult, whether you're 18 or 33 or 55 or 72, you're an adult.  Period.

Not excusing her.

[Soul Crusher]

Liberal war on women

[loco]

I would hit it and cum on her dress.

Is this a WYHI thread?   

[bears]

that's crazy that that was 17 years ago.  god i'm old

[bears]

Is this a WYHI thread?   

LOL

[bears]

sorry, I don't buy it.

She was sucking off a married man.  She knew exactly what she was doing.  She was interfering with the most public marriage in the world. 

It's easy to play the victim, but I'd have more respect if she would have just said own it.  Being 23 means you are an adult.  You can fight wars, buy alcohol, be a millionaire or go to prison.  Own it.  Pathetic to hear "so-and-so was young, just experimenting with drugs" or "she was naive and young, didn't know better".

Sorry, no dice.  She was an adult, and acting very disrespectful.  Thi reminds me of when Mccain tried to defend his use of the C-word, angrily yelled at his wife, when he was "only 55".... Yes, you've grown so much since then.  Ugh.  Age is the ultimate wimpy excuse.  If you're an adult, whether you're 18 or 33 or 55 or 72, you're an adult.  Period.

like Dennis Miller said, "Ladies if you're 20 years old and have an opportunity to blow the President of the United States.......eh i don't know i think you should probably blow the President of the United States."

[24KT]

Being thrown into the spotlight like that at such a young age must have been absolute HELL for her.
I'm glad she is now able to come out into the spotlight on her own terms. I wish her well.

[24KT]

sorry, I don't buy it.

She was sucking off a married man.  She knew exactly what she was doing.  She was interfering with the most public marriage in the world.  

It's easy to play the victim, but I'd have more respect if she would have just said own it.  Being 23 means you are an adult.  You can fight wars, buy alcohol, be a millionaire or go to prison.  Own it.  Pathetic to hear "so-and-so was young, just experimenting with drugs" or "she was naive and young, didn't know better".

Sorry, no dice.  She was an adult, and acting very disrespectful.  Thi reminds me of when Mccain tried to defend his use of the C-word, angrily yelled at his wife, when he was "only 55".... Yes, you've grown so much since then.  Ugh.  Age is the ultimate wimpy excuse.  If you're an adult, whether you're 18 or 33 or 55 or 72, you're an adult.  Period.

Come on 240, don't be so harsh. Yes she showed extremely poor judgement, however there were 2 people involved, ...not just her, ...but also "the married man" who really should have known better. Let me ask you this... do you know any married men who have strayed in a momentary lapse of judgement, who you might consider worthy of forgiveness?  

Just because she was 23... or perhaps 19 or 21 at the time, doesn't exactly make her an adult. That's just an arbitrary number pulled out of a hat. The fact remains, she clearly wasn't mature enough to make sensible decisions at the time. The one sensible decision she did make was not of her own initiative, but was suggested to her from an older woman a little wiser than her. Thank Goodness for her, she took that piece of advice.

Are you denying that they were not indeed setting her up as the scapegoat in everything.
Not only were they setting her up as a scapegoat, ...they were setting her up as a stalker... a fatal attraction.
The blue dress & DNA technological advances changed all of that.

Stop blaming the victim, ...and YES, she was clearly a victim, whether she sees it that way or not.

[240 is Back]

Stop blaming the victim, ...and YES, she was clearly a victim, whether she sees it that way or not.

She could have avoided all of it by just walking away instead of giving oral sex.  I know, she feared this and that, but she was the one saving DNA and playing all sneaky about stuff.  If she enjoys the quickie, then enjoy it... but she clearly had some agenda with saving his sperm.  Blackmail?  Who knows.  If a female kept my sperm, and we were having a consensual sexual relationship, I'd be VERY upset. 

She's an adult by the law.  That's how it is. There are many brave 18 or 20 or 22 year olds that are working as police in bad places, fighting fires, fighting wars, etc.   She'd been an adult for 5 years, when she decided to blow a married man and keep his DNA for whatever reason.  That has scandalous and shady all over it. 

Clinton was guilty of adultery, and he sure paid the price for it.  But she hid DNA... that's just so so shady.  Have a quickie and call it a day.  But keeping the sperm?  ouch.

[Soul Crusher]

She needs to just swallow her pride and move on.

[SamoanIrishman]

240 I agree that she did make a mistake and should own it but there is a reason young people in their 20's still make what we as older adult consider stupid mistakes.

http://www.academic.marist.edu/mwwatch/fall05/science1.htm

[240 is Back]

240 I agree that she did make a mistake and should own it but there is a reason young people in their 20's still make what we as older adult consider stupid mistakes.

http://www.academic.marist.edu/mwwatch/fall05/science1.htm

I completely agree that the brain is still developing in the early 20s.  Great article.

But I stand by my belief that while isn't not easy, while it might be hard to resist temptation and urges, it is possible for people at 18, 20, 22, to pass up things like beer, weed, sex, crime, etc.   Maybe they're not as mentally ready as they will be at 40, but I think they're ready enough.  

If I'm run off the road and seriously injured, I don't care if the driver is 18 or 40 or 80... lock that MFer up.  I don't care if her poor widdle brain isn't quite developed yet, and that's why she drank 14 Jager shots, had unprotected sex in a parking lot, then made the decision to get behind the wheel and run my ass over.  Lock her the@#$*&^# up.

I think society is soft on crime at times because "oh, he was still a kid".   But at 23, it's hard to call Lewinsky a kid.  She was grown up enough to finish college (i think?) and work in the white house, in one of the most secure and respected rooms on Earth... and she had no problem blowing a married leader while he chatted on phone, and playing hide the cigar.   There are PLENTY of 23 year olds who would have walked away from taht situation.

[Montague]

Clinton was guilty of adultery, and he sure paid the price for it.

How, exactly, did he pay for it? I remember his approval ratings shot up after news of the scandal broke.

[240 is Back]

How, exactly, did he pay for it? I remember his approval ratings shot up after news of the scandal broke.

he was outed.  He disgraced the office by doing things in that room.  History remembers his wet spot.  Then they did that whole investigation, asking him aobut his sex life publicly.  Hilary sure was no fun to live with back then. 

Aside from a brief approval boost (which ain't all that useful for a 2-term lame duck with no chance at congressional majority), Bill Clinton will always be remembered for Monica 1st, everything else 2nd.  I mean, Lincoln? Slavery.  Washington?  Revolutionary War.  FDR?  WWII.   Clinton?  BJ from an intern.   It's pathetic. 

[Kazan]

he was outed.  He disgraced the office by doing things in that room.  History remembers his wet spot.  Then they did that whole investigation, asking him aobut his sex life publicly.  Hilary sure was no fun to live with back then. 

Aside from a brief approval boost (which ain't all that useful for a 2-term lame duck with no chance at congressional majority), Bill Clinton will always be remembered for Monica 1st, everything else 2nd.  I mean, Lincoln? Slavery.  Washington?  Revolutionary War.  FDR?  WWII.   Clinton?  BJ from an intern.   It's pathetic. 

Yeah it has really slowed him down  You don't know what the fuck your talking about, every time the Dems need a mouth piece Bill Clinton is the go to guy.

[240 is Back]

wow... she doesn't blame bubba.... she doesn't blame herself... she blames THE MEDIA!


Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, probably due to growing Clinton nostalgia in politics and on Tumblr, broke her silence with a personal essay for Vanity Fair this month. In it, she posits, "thanks to the Drudge Report, I was ... possibly the first person whose global humiliation was driven by the Internet."

The full essay will be available digitally on Thursday, but here are the highlights. Lewinsky, who is only 40 now, expresses regret: "I, myself, deeply regret what happened between me and President Clinton. Let me say it again: I. Myself. Deeply. Regret. What. Happened." She also says she's ready to move on: "It’s time to burn the beret and bury the blue dress." And she assures conspiracy theorists that the Clintons did not buy her silence up until now: "I can assure you that nothing could be further from the truth."

Lewinsky also makes a point to note that her affair with President Clinton was consensual, and that he did not abuse her. The abuse she suffered was at the hands of the media, she says. Now, the Internet is a much more friendly place for Lewinsky, especially the teen Internet. As The Wire noted earlier this year, Lewinsky is a big part of the '90s nostalgia that permeates Tumblr and sites like Buzzfeed. Beyoncé put her in a song on her latest album.

http://www.thewire.com/politics/2014/05/monica-lewinsky-blames-the-internet/361788/

[24KT]

She could have avoided all of it by just walking away instead of giving oral sex.  I know, she feared this and that, but she was the one saving DNA and playing all sneaky about stuff.  If she enjoys the quickie, then enjoy it... but she clearly had some agenda with saving his sperm.  Blackmail?  Who knows.  If a female kept my sperm, and we were having a consensual sexual relationship, I'd be VERY upset. 

She's an adult by the law.  That's how it is. There are many brave 18 or 20 or 22 year olds that are working as police in bad places, fighting fires, fighting wars, etc.   She'd been an adult for 5 years, when she decided to blow a married man and keep his DNA for whatever reason.  That has scandalous and shady all over it.

240, ...she didn't break the law, ...she had sex! ...consensual sex! She shouldn't have to be forced to go on TV to discuss it, ...nor should she have to be dragged into a grand jury to give the sordid details. It's not like she was accused of raping him, or he accused of raping her. A person should have the right to keep the details of their sex life private, ...not broadcast for the entire planet to hear about, and comment on.

Have you ever made an unwise sexual decision? ...EVER?! One you in hindsight felt was a mistake and wish you'd never made? How would YOU feel if all of a sudden, a consensual non criminal sexual act you committed  with another person is broadcast across the planet, ...negatively impacting your ability to get a good job, or even have a normal love life. You'd be lucky... seeing that you are already married, ...but how do you think your wife & kids would enjoy the notoriety thrust upon them? Do you think that would be right?

Clinton was guilty of adultery, and he sure paid the price for it.  But she hid DNA... that's just so so shady.  Have a quickie and call it a day.  But keeping the sperm?  ouch.

She didn't keep the sperm, ...she kept the dress, ...and that was the one wise thing she did in all of this, thanks to the advice of Linda Tripp. It was Linda Tripp who told her not to have the dress dry cleaned. Thank God for her sake she listened to her. You remember Linda Tripp? ...the biyatch who tripped her up and put her in that situation to begin with? (pun intended)

Had she been the mature adult you claim her to have been, she wouldn't have needed to go to Tripp for advice, let alone confide in her. She would have been able to handle the situation on her own. Instead she needed the advice of an older, more mature, and wiser woman. She confided in Linda Tripp, ...and after giving her one solid piece of advice... threw her to the wolves. And yes.. the MEDIA exploited the situation to the best of their ability.

While the whole world was voyeuristically prying into the salacious details, no one was paying attention to the little girl between a rock & a very hard place. She had all sides out for her blood, and the incredible abuses of prosecutorial power were ignored in favour of salacious gossip. You guys all scream that Obama is ignoring the Constitution, yet not one of you noticed special prosecutor Kenneth Starr riverdancing on her constitutional rights back then.

The courts really need to stay out of the bedrooms of the nation. It was a freaking witch-hunt, and she was a scapegoat, ...the most innocent one of them all, ...and she got burned big time.

[Montague]

he was outed.  He disgraced the office by doing things in that room.  History remembers his wet spot.  Then they did that whole investigation, asking him aobut his sex life publicly.  Hilary sure was no fun to live with back then. 

Aside from a brief approval boost (which ain't all that useful for a 2-term lame duck with no chance at congressional majority), Bill Clinton will always be remembered for Monica 1st, everything else 2nd.  I mean, Lincoln? Slavery.  Washington?  Revolutionary War.  FDR?  WWII.   Clinton?  BJ from an intern.   It's pathetic. 

Seriously? He was "outed?"

That may be a big deal on the G&O, but for a guy who's made over $90 million from keynote and other speaking engagements alone since 2001, I don't consider his "outing" to have relegated him to the level of "pathetic," in your words.



http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/03/politics/clinton-speaking-fees/

[RRKore]

She needs to just swallow her pride and move on.

Swallow what? 

Oh, good one.

[RRKore]

Come on 240, don't be so harsh. Yes she showed extremely poor judgement, however there were 2 people involved, ...not just her, ...but also "the married man" who really should have known better. Let me ask you this... do you know any married men who have strayed in a momentary lapse of judgement, who you might consider worthy of forgiveness?  

Just because she was 23... or perhaps 19 or 21 at the time, doesn't exactly make her an adult. That's just an arbitrary number pulled out of a hat. The fact remains, she clearly wasn't mature enough to make sensible decisions at the time. The one sensible decision she did make was not of her own initiative, but was suggested to her from an older woman a little wiser than her. Thank Goodness for her, she took that piece of advice.

Are you denying that they were not indeed setting her up as the scapegoat in everything.
Not only were they setting her up as a scapegoat, ...they were setting her up as a stalker... a fatal attraction.
The blue dress & DNA technological advances changed all of that.

Stop blaming the victim, ...and YES, she was clearly a victim, whether she sees it that way or not.

Wasn't she the "victim" of her drama teacher back in high school, too?