Clarence Thomas' Wife Asks Anita Hill to Apologize
Here's a blast from the past: Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas are in the news again.
In her column today, Kathleen Parker reminds readers of the last time these two were making headlines:
In 1991, the world divided itself into two camps: those who believed Anita Hill and those who didn't. I fell somewhere in the middle: She may have told the truth, but so what?
On bended knee, give thanks if you are too young to remember. A brief summary: Hill testified that then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her by verbally sharing his enjoyment of porn films and his sexual proficiency.
Christopher Weber at Politics Daily alerted readers a few days ago that 19 years after this fiasco, Thomas' wife, Virginia Thomas, recently called Hill asking Hill to apologize for her sordid and painful testimony against Thomas during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings. At the time, Thomas said he was the victim of a "high-tech lynching." Weber reports:
"I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something," Virginia Thomas said on Hill's school voice mail. "I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. So give it some thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did. Okay have a good day."
After 19 years, why on earth did Mrs. Thomas make that call? Allahpundit, over at Hotair, offers two theories: "Was it an earnest attempt to find reconciliation? Or was it Virginia Thomas’s way of dropping a 'Just a reminder: You’re a liar' candygram in Hill’s inbox?"
I'm going to go with the first theory, but I agree with Parker: Mrs. Thomas' attempt at reconciliation was more foolish than earnest.
Now we are revisiting the Thomas hearings, sadly owing to the poor judgment of his wife, Ginni. As all surely know, she recently called Anita Hill and left a voice mail suggesting that Hill apologize for what she did. This jaw-droppingly odd lapse has prompted an unwelcome and sordid review of the past and a deluge of theories to explain Ginni Thomas's action.
Thanks to Mrs. Thomas' news-making phone call, Parker notes that,
a new player has emerged in the drama: Lillian McEwen, a former Thomas girlfriend from way back, has decided that now is the time to set the record straight. Coincidentally, McEwen is shopping her memoir.
On Monday night, McEwen sat down with Larry King on CNN (where I work) to share her own sexual past with Thomas and her belief that Hill told the truth. She told The Washington Post (where I am a columnist) that Thomas was "obsessed with porn."
McEwen said she didn't mind the porn, she was just bored by it. She also told King that Thomas, who quit drinking while they were together, became ambitious and obsessed with physical fitness.
Oy vey. Here we go again.
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Comments :
Jun '10
Re: Clarence Thomas' Wife Asks Anita Hill to Apologize
I will be skeptical of any explanation that doesn't begin "After three glasses of chardonnay, Virginia Thomas .....
Sep '10
Re: Clarence Thomas' Wife Asks Anita Hill to Apologize
Sigh.
May '10
Re: Clarence Thomas' Wife Asks Anita Hill to Apologize
But why then did Anita Hill turn the tape over the Justice Department of all things? Missing the limelight?
Jul '10
Re: Clarence Thomas' Wife Asks Anita Hill to Apologize
Trace Urdan: But why then did Anita Hill turn the tape over the Justice Department of all things?
Because when Democrats don't like something, they always turn to the government for help.
Oct '10
Re: Clarence Thomas' Wife Asks Anita Hill to Apologize
Two things about this affair have disappointed me: 1) the questionable judgement of Ginny Thomas for choosing this particular time to engage Anita Hill, and 2) the way the issue is being stonewalled at the Liberty Central website. I have supported Ginny since I found out about Liberty Central. She has a lot of guts. She knew going into this that the liberals would be going wild about her, the wife of a Supreme Court Justice, becoming so openly politicly active. Her right to do so is what makes me so supportive. But she has not put out any soundbite, even to her supporters, acknowleging her faux pas. Oh well...