DC Conservatives Back Hillary Clinton Book

Numerous media reports claim that both conservatives and liberals are shying away from the controversial new biography "The Truth About Hillary" by Edward Klein.

But if Klein's reception in Washington is any barometer, conservatives are embracing both the book and the one-time liberal editor who has defected with a tell-all about the former first lady.

Last Wednesday Klein was the VIP guest speaker at the two most important weekly conservative strategy sessions: one hosted by Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform, and the other by Paul Weyrich, long-time head of the Free Congress Foundation.

Both groups draw top conservative leaders, Capitol Hill staffers and conservative media types.

At both meetings overflow audiences greeted Klein with thunderous applause.

"Klein gave a great presentation," Norquist said. "He was extremely well-received."

But what about claims that Klein delved too deeply into Hillary's personal life and even claimed Bill had "raped" his wife?

Although those allegations don't appear in Klein's book, claims of such have been widely circulated to discredit the book.

"Frankly, some of the phony criticisms of [the book] that have been put forward - certain assertions that he couldn't back up - Klein really exploded those," Norquist said.

"I think that was a big help because even conservatives read the New York Times and assume that there must be some of that that is true."

Norquist said Klein's presentation demonstrated that much of the criticism of Klein's book has been "disingenuous and dishonest."

Morton Blackwell, the respected head of the Leadership Institute, chaired the Weyrich Free Congress Foundation meeting and was also pleased by Klein and his book.

Blackwell said Klein was "well-received" by the conservatives who gathered there.

"I suspect a lot of them will go out and buy his book now," Blackwell added.

Klein's Warning

During both of his Washington speeches, author Klein warned that if the New York senator and former first lady ever becomes president, she will advocate same-sex marriage, an idea that has been rejected by voters in 11 states in the 2004 election alone.

He also accused Maura Moynihan, a daughter of the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, of having "lied through her teeth" in denying her father and mother distrusted Hillary.

Klein interviewed Moynihan's wife Liz at length for his book. A controversial anecdote that showed Sen. Moynihan held Hillary Clinton in contempt was denied by Maura. But Mrs. Moynihan has never publicly denied Klein's account.

Clearly, Mrs. Clinton has moved her public position to the "moderate" wing of her party.

But Klein told NewsMax.com he believes this is simply political posturing on her part.

"In her heart of hearts, she is still the same old Hillary," Klein said.

"Hillary has no principles beyond Hillary," Klein insists, adding that is the number-one message in his book, a point he reinforced in answer to a question from Blackwell.

"It's easy to label her a far-left, hard-left ideologue," the author told NewsMax. "In fact, Hillary Clinton is more of a chameleon than anything else. She doesn't have any real principles. She'll follow the polls on almost anything."

So what would she do in the White House?

"It's my view that if she became president she would be in favor of gay marriage because she has such huge and powerful support from the gay and lesbian community," Klein said.

One participant at Norquist's meeting had indicated he thought Klein "did not come out and call Hillary a lesbian, but you implied it."

The author said that was a "misreading" of what he had written. Klein said that Hillary Rodham Clinton's political outlook was formed in the counter-culture of the 1960s, and that part of the feminist movement with which she identified encouraged lesbianism.

"I have no idea what Hillary Clinton does in her bedroom. I have never been there for any reason, thank Heaven," Klein added.

Klein's book has remained on the top of the New York Times best-seller list for four weeks even though it has received almost no big-media exposure.

Now Klein says many of his liberal Manhattan friends (the only kind of friends you have if you're a New York journalist) have sought to make him a pariah.

Already he has been disinvited from parties and dinners, he said, and "some of them won't even talk to us." His wife, who is "gentle and hasn't been well," has been taking all this "very badly," he says. "We've really found out who our friends are."

Klein is also going through a political conversion of sorts.

Though his background - former foreign editor of Newsweek and former editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine - makes him appear like a member of the liberal media elite, he says he is a "conservative in the making."

The experience of writing about Hillary has contributed to the metamorphosis, he said.

He likened his situation to that of Bernard Goldberg, whose 28-year career as a correspondent for CBS News was set back after he blew the whistle on bias at that network.

He notes the hypocrisy of the "liberals" who dominate the media.

"It's amazing because these are the people who talk about freedom of speech and about shield laws to protect journalists' confidential sources, and who are members of the Committee for the Protection of Journalists -- all members of the wonderful liberal organizations that purport to advocate the free exchange of ideas," he said.

"But whenever there is a free exchange of ideas they don't like, they go bananas."

He noted that Hillary's "war room" had sent out propaganda accusing him of saying things in the book he never said, and then condemned him for supposedly saying them. The liberal machine had gone full bore on this one.

Some conservatives have joined in on the frenzy to attack Klein.

But other conservative leaders -- including the likes of Norquist, Blackwell and Weyrich -- say this important book on the Democrats' leading presidential candidate is not getting the media attention it deserves.