Andrew Stiles of the Washington Free Beacon reviews a new television series on the former first lady and failed presidential candidate.
“I have no regrets; I’m a very grateful person,” twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says toward the end of Hillary, the new Hulu documentary series about her life. Like many of her public statements over the years, especially those requiring a modicum of self-reflection, it’s not very convincing. The average viewer will understand by then, if they’ve managed to suffer through the full four-hour running time, what Hillary wishes she could say in front of the camera: “I don’t deserve this; I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Hillary purports to tell the “unvarnished” story of Hillary Clinton’s life, as told by Hillary, her closest friends, and an array of staffers formerly paid to spin on her behalf. (A few journalists, as well, to the extent that there’s a difference.) One unvarnished opinion we get from Hillary is her much-publicized denigration of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.). “No one likes him,” she says of her 2016 primary opponent. We also learn that former president Barack Obama told Hillary’s running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.), to help “keep a fascist out of the White House.”
The parts of most interest to the average viewer—about Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton’s prolific infidelity—remain quite varnished, however, and are almost boring. “We all bring our baggage to life, and sometimes we do things we shouldn’t do,” is how Bill sums up the scandal that led to his impeachment. “We had challenges like any married couple would have,” says Hillary, in a separate interview. “I’m not going to go any further than that.”
