'Bubba's blonde'– Clinton-Stronach tabloid fun

[Davey Boy 2.0]

Ottawa Citizen sinks to rags' level:

'Bubba's blonde" -- the tabloid take on Bill Clinton's friendship with Belinda Stronach -- is back to full grind in the rumour mill. But this time, the gossipy talk about supposed sparks between the former U.S. president and the party-hopping billionaire Liberal MP has some media organizations weighing the implications for the future leadership of the free world.

It began last week when the New York Times published an uncharacteristic but exhaustive front page splash about the state of the ex-president's marriage to New York senator and White House hopeful Hillary Clinton.

The story has kickstarted a global bout of speculation about how a Bill-and-Belinda factor could undercut Hillary Clinton's still-undeclared campaign for the U.S. presidency in 2008.

"Democrats preparing for 2008 describe the political challenge this way: Mrs. Clinton could prosper as a presidential candidate, yet the return of 'the Clintons' could revive memories including the oft-derided two-for-the-price-of-one appeal of his 1992 presidential campaign, Mrs. Clinton's role in the universal health-care debacle, and the soap opera of infidelity," the Times reported. "Because of Mr. Clinton's behaviour in the White House, tabloid gossip sticks to him like iron filings to a magnet. Several prominent New York Democrats, in interviews, volunteered that they became concerned last year over a tabloid photograph showing Mr. Clinton leaving BLT Steak in Midtown Manhattan late one night after dining with a group that included Belinda Stronach, a Canadian politician."

Washington Post columnist David Broder, widely viewed as one of the most influential political analysts in the U.S., followed with a critique of the Times piece in which he noted: "The article, by Patrick Healy, was anything but unsympathetic. It touched only lightly on the former president's friendship with Canadian politician Belinda Stronach."

Mr. Broder added that "for all the delicacy of the treatment, the very fact that the Times had sent a reporter out to interview 50 people about the state of the Clintons' marriage and placed the story on the top of Page One was a clear signal -- if any was needed -- that the drama of the Clintons' personal life would be a hot topic if she runs for president."

The BLT gathering in April 2005 followed a Time magazine glitzfest honouring its annual list of the planet's 100 most powerful people. Ms. Stronach, a 2004 listee, attended a post-event dinner party at BLT with Mr. Clinton and a host of other notables, including actors Jack Nicholson and Nicole Kidman, businessman Donald Trump, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening and New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer.

But it was a photo of Mr. Clinton and Ms. Stronach -- then a Conservative MP still dating fellow Tory MP Peter MacKay -- that made it into the Globe, a racy U.S. supermarket tabloid, under the headline: "Bill Caught With Blonde -- AGAIN: New Divorce Battle With Hillary".

That lurid tale played on earlier rumours of a budding romance between Mr. Clinton and Ms. Stronach that was first given tabloid treatment in 2004 by the New York Daily News, which coined the "Bubba's Blonde" nickname for Ms. Stronach.

All this has set newspapers around the world once again wondering what to make of Mr. Clinton and Ms. Stronach's relationship today. The brainy Times of London, one of the world's most respected dailies, made its foray into the subject on Sunday under the heading: "Bewitching blonde casts spell on Bill".

The story -- inspired by Mr. Healy's article but focused on plans for Bill Clinton's 60th birthday bash this summer at New York's Madison Square Garden -- hints at growing anxiety over whether Ms. Stronach will show up for the lavish party.

Ms. Stronach's spokeswoman, Maria McClintock, told CanWest News Service yesterday that the MP "sees the speculation in the stories" and views it as nothing more than "fodder for the newspapers."

"Ms. Stronach does not make a habit of commenting on her relationship with Mr. Clinton. They've been friends for years, that's pretty well documented. But she's not going to discuss it."

As for the upcoming Clinton birthday gala in New York, Ms. McClintock stated: "My understanding is that no invitation has been received for a birthday celebration."