Valerie Plame Wilson recently discussed her new memoir, Fair Game: My Life As a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, on the left-wing website firedoglake.com. The discussion was moderated by former Clinton White House operative Sidney Blumenthal, and early on in the chat, Wilson’s husband, Joseph Wilson, jumped in to make a brief statement:
Two people in Washington helped us understand the broader implications of the fight we have found ourselves in: Sid Blumenthal, and Hillary Clinton. They had both been through the character assassination gauntlet, and were able to get us to see that the fight wasn’t personal, however painful it might be, but was all about how we conduct public debate and discourse in our democracy. I cannot tell you how many times they told us to pull up our socks and quit feeling sorry for ourselves because the future of the country is what really matters. I am eternally grateful to both for their wisdom and their profound understanding of the pernicious threat posed by the forces of the far right. If you haven’t read Sid’s books: The Clinton Wars and the Rise of the Counter Establishment you really should. It is an honor for me that my dear friend is part of Valerie’s day here with you. This has been a long battle, far longer for the Blumenthals and for the Clintons than for us, but bruising to all who have been subjected to the viciousness and the lies of the right. Very few have emerged from the fire tempered rather than broken by the experience. Thanks to Sid and Hillary, I think we have…
I’ve been told that Hillary Clinton had dinner with Valerie and Joseph Wilson last spring, but Joe Wilson’s words seem to suggest that she offered much more extensive counsel. It would be interesting to know more.