Hillary Clinton: Monica Lewinsky a “narcissistic loony toon”

An archive of correspondence, diary entries, memos and notes from conversations kept by one of Hillary Clinton’s closest friends portray her as “a strong, ambitious and ruthless Democratic operative,” according to a conservative website that went through the documents.

The papers offer a look at Hillary Clinton’s mindset through some of the most difficult parts of her husband’s presidency, including the Monica Lewinsky scandal. According to the friend, Diane Blair -- a political science professor whose papers were donated to the University of Arkansas Special Collections library – Hillary Clinton credited Bill Clinton with trying to break away from Lewinsky, whom she called a “narcissistic loony toon.”

She also said Hillary Clinton said a series of personal tragedies like the death of friend Vince Foster, her father and Bill’s mother took a toll on their marriage, as did the “ugly forces” that attacked them, according to the Washington Free Beacon, which reported on the documents.

“They adopted strategy, public strategy, of acting as tho it didn’t bother them; had to. [Hillary] didn’t realize toll it was taking on him,” Blair wrote. “She thinks she was not smart enough, not sensitive enough, not free enough of her own concerns and struggles to realize the price he was paying.”

In addition to her work as a political science professor, Blair worked on Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign as a senior researcher and a senior advisor on his 1996 bid. She was a close personal friend to Hillary Clinton, who described her as “the best person that one could have as a friend” when she died in 2000.

A frequent theme in the documents is Hillary Clinton’s dissatisfaction with the people around her during her time in Washington. Blair’s notes indicate Hillary thought of Congress as “a bunch of whiners” with “no courage” during the health care debate; she clashed with her husband’s staff and other administration members; thought the press had “big egos and no brains;” and that she was “furious” with Bill Clinton for “ruining himself and the presidency” during his first year in office.

“She keeps trying to shape things up, knows what’s wrong, but [Bill] can’t fire people, exert discipline, punish leakers,” Blair wrote on May 17, 1994, according to the Free Beacon. “Never had strategy for Whitewater, troopers, Paula [Jones]. … Inability to organize, make tough choices, drives her nuts.”

Blair’s notes also indicate that Hillary Clinton thought a single-payer health care system was necessary, despite saying she never seriously considered it when she was running for the presidency in 2008.