The Note flags as "Must-Read" Boston Herald editorial on Clintons' "off-loading of Socks"

An October 23 Boston Herald editorial -- titled "Meow if you're for Hillary" -- highlighted an article (subscription required) in the November 2007 issue of The Atlantic about Socks, former President Bill and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY) cat, and claimed that the article " 'exposes' the post-White House off-loading of Socks to a Clinton aide after the feline was found to be incompatible with the Clinton's [sic] beloved lab, Buddy." But the Atlantic article did not "expose[]" the fact that Socks was given to Bill Clinton's then-personal secretary, Bettie Currie. In fact, articles detailing Currie's adoption of Socks date as far back as December 2000, as Media Matters for America documented. On October 23, ABC's online political newsletter The Note included the Herald editorial in its daily list of "Must-Reads."

A Nexis search for major newspaper articles that reported on Currie's adoption of Socks from December 1, 2000, to December 1, 2001, yielded 103 reports, including a December 27, 2000, New York Daily News article, which reported: "The Clintons' cat, Socks, meanwhile, apparently has won the affection of the President's trusted secretary, Betty Currie, who has asked to adopt the cat, a source said." The Philadelphia Inquirer further reported on January 21, 2001: " 'Socks is off to Mrs. Currie's house,' said a Clinton aide who insisted on anonymity. 'She loves the cat. She wants the cat.' ... Socks came to the White House from Arkansas with the Clinton family in 1993 as Chelsea's pet. Chelsea is now a student at Stanford University." Indeed, the Boston Herald itself dedicated two articles and an editorial to the subject on January 11 and 12, 2001.

From the October 23 Herald editorial:

Hillary Clinton may be able to handle her Democratic rivals with ease, but she has yet to be called to account on ... Socks. Yes, the former White House cat has come back to haunt the Democratic presidential contender.

The new Atlantic Monthly "exposes" the post-White House off-loading of Socks to a Clinton aide after the feline was found to be incompatible with the Clinton's beloved lab, Buddy. But before cat lovers protest, they might want to recall that shortly after Buddy left the White House he was run over by a car in Chappaqua. Maybe Socks was the lucky one.

—K.H.