Clearly, some scheduler at the Democratic National Committee did not do their homework because they created a potentially epically awkward moment in the backstage area tonight:
Rabbi David Wolpe of Los Angeles’ Sinai Temple, where Monica Lewinsky and her family were congregation members for decades and where Lewinsky attended religious school, is scheduled to deliver the benediction at the Democratic National Convention tonight — not long after Bill Clinton speaks.
Not only was Wolpe the Lewinsky family’s rabbi, he also sharply condemned President Clinton at the time his sexual relationship with Lewinsky, then a 24-year-old White House intern, was dominating national headlines.
“He was a brilliant, talented, extraordinary child, and for the leader of the United States we need an adult,” Rabbi Wolpe told his temple, according to a 1998 Associated Press account. He said Clinton needed to “cleanse his soul.”
And other news reports from the time noted that Wolpe accused Clinton of hiding behind a “flinty legalistic apology,” for his romantic dalliances with the young intern.
President Clinton will deliver a much-anticipated speech on Wednesday to close out the convention’s second night.
Kudos to ABC News for spotting this.
And what about the other half? Not so well. The Daily Mail reported a year ago that Ms. Lewinsky has had a very hard time living down her notoriety and is a near-recluse these days.
