http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/29/che...ovel/index.html

Lynne Cheney novel churns controversy in Senate race

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Lynne Cheney is deflecting talk of the sexual content in her novel "Sisters," a 25-year-old book that resurfaced in a campaign Friday and is stirring up controversy.

The novel, featuring a lesbian love affair, was brought up Friday amid a contentious Senate race in Virginia. Soon a Democratic committee and Cheney herself -- in an interview on CNN -- were weighing in.

Cheney, the wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, convinced the publisher not to reissue the book in 2004 during the presidential election. Her attorney told the media at the time that Cheney "did not think the book was her best work." (Watch Lynne Cheney discuss the controversy with Wolf Blitzer -- 10:18)

Cheney's biography on the White House Web site says she is the author or co-author of nine books, and it lists six of them, but not "Sisters."

Readers will have a hard time judging the content of the book for themselves. The few copies available are selling for hundreds of dollars each.

On Amazon.com Sunday, four used copies of "Sisters" were being sold, ranging from $695.95 for one in "acceptable" condition to $999 for a copy in "collectible -- good" condition. Ebay had two copies available, with requested opening bids of $200 and $500. Froogle.com, on Sunday afternoon, found the cheapest copies available barely under $300.

Some of these prices were set before the latest blow-up over the work of fiction. It was not immediately clear what impact the last few days have had.

Reviews have long described the book as "racy" and "steamy." Excerpts highlight a love story between two women and talk of sharing a bed.

"Sisters," which has triggered controversies in the past, returned to the news after Sen. George Allen, a Republican from Virginia, pulled up sexual passages that his Democratic challenger, Jim Webb, had included in his novels.

In a statement and list sent to the Drudge Report Web site, Allen's campaign accused Webb, a former Navy secretary of "demeaning women" and "dehumanizing women, men and even children" through his fiction writings.

Webb responded that it was a "smear" tactic and "desperate," and that in his books he had described things he witnessed in horrible wartime situations. (Full story)

Democrats pointed to a quote from Vietnam War veteran Sen. John McCain, one of the highest profile senators and a Republican, praising the book "Lost Soldiers" -- the first book the Allen campaign had quoted.

Speaking to Washington Post radio, Webb said, "I mean we can go and read Lynne Cheney's lesbian love scenes if you want to, you know, get graphic on stuff."

Cheney then told CNN, "Jim Webb is full of baloney. I have never written anything sexually explicit."

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sent out a news release listing sexual passages in books by Cheney and other GOP conservatives, including Dick Cheney's former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

The DSCC said Cheney's books featured brothels and attempted rape.

Though asked by CNN, Cheney did not discuss the imagery included in "Sisters."

Cheney is promoting a new book she's written for children.

I'm sorry. I hate to go against my party, but I think this was WRONG of the DSCC.

Of what relevance is it to anything? And just because low-life George Allen accused his opponent Jim Webb of writing steamy passages in his book, does it justify the DSCC doing what it did?

As a novelist myself, I can attest to the fact that writers use sex in all its many forms for many purposes in writing. Some is legitimate and some is not, IMO. But I think the DSCC is out of bounds with this one, and they are wrong.

Don't both parties have anything more substantive than this to criticize each other for?

Yep, i agree with you. I suppose they felt they had to respond in kind, and lord knows we criticized the slow response to the swift boating. I think it would have been better to issue a statement like what you said, and remind people of the quality of Webb's books, then just drop it.

Those Virginians who would be swayed by this to vote for macaca instead of webb are hopeless cases anyway.

As it happens, the backlash of military people who really admire webb's books probably hurt macaca more than any benefit he might have gotten by swaying a prude.

Go on the internet and pull up; Lynne Cheney's book "Sisters."
After reading passages from the book, I can understand what Jim Webb was talking about. The democrats have to stand up to garbage that is thrown at them. My, My, Lynne Cheney was trying to hide this book. She asked that it not be reissued during the 2004 election.

I don't care what Lynne Cheney wrote in a novel. It's irrelevant to anything having to do with her husband or politics or any other candidate. I agree that the fact that she was trying to keep it hidden is sleazy, but so what if she wrote some steamy sex scenes, between lesbians no less? Their daughter is an open lesbian. What's the big deal? It has absolutely no bearing on anything having to do with this or any other election, and I'd hate to see the Dems. resorting to this kind of personal attack, which has nothing to do with anything. That type of thing should be beneath them.

I agree that it should not have been an issue, but Allen made it an issue against Webb. I feel that he had to answer, and not sit back and let them do to him what they did to Kerry or the terrilbe things that they did to Gore. Sometimes, you just have to fight even if goes against the grain.

Fighting back is one thing. Allen is a scumbag, and he shouldn't have brought Webb's book into the race. And I can see what they're doing then, trying to show that even Lynne Cheney has sex in her book, so what's the big deal. I guess it really all depends on how they go about it. The DSCC shouldn't be attacking Cheney for writing what she did. They should just be pointing out that many writers have sex in their books, including the Second Lady. It shouldn't become an issue in and of itself.

I must agree with EM, "Of what relevance is it to anything"?

Many if not most of our highly respected authors use the periodic sex scene in their writings. It is a natural part of the human as well as all other living species drives. It doesn't matter if it is same sex or not it is a part of life. Just because I am straight that does not alter my belief's that each individual has the right to choose their partner (as long as it is far away from a child) and a reputable author will write about these encounters because, as I said, it is a natural part of life.

"Don't both parties have anything more substantive than this to criticize each other for"?

Agree again. There is far too many substantial issues we need to deal with that a book written or co-authored by Lynn Chaney 25 yrs. ago seems such a minor thing. Do we really want our elected officials in office because one party could not dig up more slime than the other. If we do than we also begin the process of losing our moral standing.

I didn't agree with her on Wolf Blitzer, even though it was expected, but as I tried so hard to convince those around me in the Clinton elections. We are not voting for the spouse but the candidate and their stance or lack of stance on issues. More attention should be placed on this than the slime I see so much of.

The Republicans will run a race that is just as dirty as possible hoping to play on peoples emotions and pound on their hot buttons as much as they can. Do we stoop to their rock bottom ways are do we offer issues and fight their lies with the truth. Remember, the truth of their dealings is what they hope to keep peoples minds off of. That is possibly the reason they chose the snake approach of trying to crawl under the danger of their ways the truth exposes.

Lynne Cheney makes Phyllis Schaffley look like a libertine. She is so far to the right of Dick Cheney, so abrasively conservative, that even this administration has tried to keep a muzzle on her.

Have you heard her talk about textbooks?! :o She wants to remove any reference that does not mesh with her NeoRepug reality; i.e. taking land from the Indians, Slavery, Jim Crow, Japanese internment camps. Yes, she really does make Uncle Dick seem warm and fuzzy by comparison :dripple:

My sympathy meter is kinda low for Mrs Cheney :wacko:

Never said I liked or admired the lady. I also have a very high disrespect for her and will readily agree that she is as bad or worse than Dicky. The point I was trying to make and I believe EM also, but she will have to answer that herself, is that there is much more to this election than a 25 yr. old book.

We as a people are once again subjected to the trash from the distant past and the manipulated lies and sleaze we have had for too long. There's only a few days left for the upcoming election, but few if any have actually come clean on the issues other than the three word one liners the Republicans have become so adapt at, and those are lies.

I'm in no way defending Lynne Cheney. And don't get into the textbook thing with me, of all people. I write those things for a living, and I've had more than two decades of publishers trying to make the textbook industry take out things like the white man taking land from the Indians, the Pilgrim having not come here seeking religious freedom (excuse me?), etc. So Lynne Cheney can stick it up her patooty. All I was saying is that I don't give a rat's ass what she did or didn't write in a novel 25 years ago. It has no bearing on the Congressional races of '06.

:good:

Eh....? I'm not sure how I feel about it now

I don't know if I approve of these tactics, but if they are being used by Repugs against Webb in VA then maybe all is fair in love, war, and politics. Or, maybe not.

But she is no innocent. If only we could come up with a good Halloween costume:
The Bride of Darth Vader

:messy: