Don't believe the hype.
Despite the supernova level of buzz that it has generated in the political punditry, Monica Lewinsky's Vanity Fair piece — out now for subscribers — says virtually nothing we didn't know about Lewinsky's 1998 affair with Bill Clinton. Nor is this a Monica-versus-Hillary smackdown — although everyone knows the media loves a good catfight narrative. But what does it mean for Hillary Clinton in 2016?
Sorry to disappoint, but to answer your question, "Very little."
What Lewinsky's story does offer, however, is a view into the world of a woman whose life has been ruined by the political circus. Lewinsky readily takes responsibility for her ruin, but is rightfully embittered that she's the sole scapegoat.
It's a weird time warp — the media portrayed 24-year-old Lewinsky as a conniving, power-hungry vixen. Now, the 40-year-old Lewinsky is a limp puppet for the Clinton agenda. Lynne Cheney suggested that the Clintons put Lewinsky up to this to get her story out of the way before 2016. Others, like The New York Post's Andrea Peyser, addressed Lewinsky more bluntly: "Shut up and go away."
In The Washington Post, Ruth Marcus wrote that Lewinsky is doing a big favor to the Clintons by dredging up the 1998 affair. As Jonathan Chait put it, it's hard to believe that when she wrote the piece, Lewinsky was thinking, "I really owe Bill Clinton a favor."