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Sheltering Chelsey Never Ends

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JOHN HERBERT From Where I Sit

Published: February 20, 2008

Updated: 02/19/2008 07:55 pm

Either NBC is over-reacting or the TV network has never heard of the much-abused constitutional amendment protecting free expression. A bit more far-fetched, it sounds like maybe NBC isn't particularly hip with modern English language usage.

In any case, never underestimate the influence of the Clinton family. Sen. Hillary Clinton, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, complained vigorously earlier this month after a news reader at MSNBC, the cable affiliate of the network, had innocently asked, "Doesn't it seem like (Clinton daughter) Chelsea's sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?"

Hillary just about declared war on NBC. She was "incredibly offended" and demanded "appropriate action." Since she is a Clinton, Hillary got it, too. Kind of like the historical royal command, "off with their heads."

NBC immediately suspended the allegedly offending newsman, even though he quickly apologized, and even though "pimping" has been little more than a synonym for "hiring out" or "being used" for at least the past generation. He had the effrontery to say what many of us had actually been thinking.

It's been ages since "pimping" had more or less exclusively sleezier connotations, with visions of pink velvet suits and matching pink Caddies.

It's been at least as long since Alben Barkley, Harry Truman's one-time vice president, offered this relevant advice: "If you have to eat crow, eat it while it's hot."

That maneuver didn't save shock jock Don Imus from NBC's wrath, either, although he apologized both profusely for a racially-tinged slur he had quipped last year. It took Imus nine months before another network dared hire him as a talk-show host.

It was a whole different ball game when an alleged slur was directed at a Republican presidential candidate. Imus's successor, former Florida congressman Joe Scarborough, speculated on-air about Fred Thompson's wife "working the pole." Nothing happened after that obviously partisan zinger.

On the other hand, it took President Bill Clinton several years to apologize for sex scandals "causing pain" in his marriage. Nothing much came of Monica's stained blue dress. Neither Hillary nor MSNBC picked up on Bill's curious use of cigars, come to think of it.

And, there was no flap when MSNBC's own Keith Olbermann accused Republican President Bush, also on-air, of "pimping General David Petraeus" in Iraq.

The question remains, though: Is Chelsea being "pimped out" in the modern context of the expression? Of course she is. Politicians have been pressing their family members into action forever, it seems. And we've all seen and heard the controversial role Bill has been playing in his hopeful wife's campaign.

Chelsea has been an adult for quite a few years. A 28-year-old woman has a right to campaign for anyone she wants, including her mother. Both Bill and Hillary have pressed their own mothers into action, too.

If Chelsea wants to try her hand at influencing uncommitted convention delegates, well, her name gives her valuable political clout. Long-gone are the days when she was a zit-faced, buck-toothed teenager growing up in the White House. Understandably, protective parents Bill and Hillary told the media to keep their mitts (and cameras) off Chelsea at that awkward stage in her life.

Chelsea can't have helped but notice that her father and mother haven't precisely exuded moral fiber. She survived both Bill's extra-curricular escapades and Hillary's cloudy Whitewater affairs and papers allegedly buried in White House flower patches. But, how much did Chelsea notice?

Unfortunately, we'll never know. Mama and Papa Clinton are still trying to steer the press clear of their princess. We have no idea what her opinion is of anything. Chelsea even snubbed an elementary schooler playing investigative reporter.

How will Chelsea react if Hillary is dragged, kicking and yelling, off the stage of the Democratic nominating convention this coming summer?

A regular columnist for Hernando Today, John Herbert lives in Spring Hill.

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