Is Interning Getting a Bad Reputation?

This partial transcript from Hannity & Colmes, July 23, 2001 was provided by the Federal Document Clearing House.

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COLMES: Welcome back to HANNITY & COLMES. I'm Alan Colmes.

In my "One-on-One" tonight, the stories of Chandra Levy and Monica Lewinsky have given interning in Washington a bad, even dangerous name, and some say they're just two of many young women who fall prey to the powerful, older men they idolize. But wasn't Chandra a grown woman capable of making her own decisions?

Joining me in Los Angeles, Susan Carpenter McMillan, president of the Women's Coalition.

Certainly, you were very present here, Susie, during the Paula Jones situation.

SUSAN CARPENTER MCMILLAN, WOMEN'S COALITION: I was.

COLMES: Now you're back to talk about this, and I question whether or not Chandra Levy -- and I say this with all due respect. I know her family may be grieving -- but is -- she is a grown woman, and she can make her own grown-up decisions, correct?

MCMILLAN: Well, let me correct your first statement. I always have to come in and correct your statements, Alan. Now...

COLMES: I'm glad things have changed so much in all this.

(LAUGHTER)

MCMILLAN: No. 1, Democrats have given interns and internship a bad name.

COLMES: Oh, stop politicizing it. You ought to be ashamed of yourself politicizing this.

MCMILLAN: I'm not ashamed of myself. I'm not ashamed of myself at...

COLMES: We have a missing woman, Susie, and you want to make a political football out of this. That's -- shame on you.

MCMILLAN: No, I'm not making -- I'm not making a political football out of it. I'm just trying to put a little reality into your...

COLMES: So only...

MCMILLAN: ... dream world. However...

COLMES: ... Democrats take advantage of interns. Republicans have never done that.

MCMILLAN: No, but let...

COLMES: Oh, come on.

HANNITY: Name one.

MCMILLAN: Let's say this.

COLMES: Oh, come on.

MCMILLAN: We're dealing with a Democrat who is a serial adulteress. And, yes, Chandra was 24 years old.

You know, Alan, this story touches me almost on kind of a personal level. My daughter graduated from SC that day, and I know that the talk on campus was how so many people were waiting and hoping -- Chandra's parents were hoping that maybe she would show up that day.

And as I looked around at the people graduating, the kids graduating, in many ways while she was 24, she's still very young, young woman, Alan.

COLMES: There are -- there are very mature people at 24. There are people who are less mature. There are very mature people at 40. There are people who are less mature.

MCMILLAN: You're not...

COLMES: I'm just...

MCMILLAN: I'm not taking the bite, Alan.

COLMES: I'm just here -- used -- I'm here to -- I'm just shocked to hear you try to politicize this and try to -- at every opportunity, you want to mention his party affiliation. That has nothing to do with it.

You want to talk about the way he's voted on issues. That has nothing to do with it. There are Republicans who are scoundrels, who are cheaters, who are adulterers, who are not nice to their wives and families, and who lie and cheat. It is not a matter of party affiliation, and how dare you try to make that the issue here when the issue is a missing woman.

MCMILLAN: Well, are you now off your self-righteous pedestal?

COLMES: For the moment, yes. Thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

MCMILLAN: Oh, well, good. I'm so glad.

COLMES: For the moment.

MCMILLAN: Let's talk about the reality. Alan, No. 1, a bit of a crass statement, but I think most people will agree, that power in a man to a woman is like -- well, let me rephrase that. A powerful man is to a woman what cleavage is to a man, and it's a very seductive town, and when you take these young women who in many times are naive, they are certainly inexperienced...

COLMES: I've got to take a break here, but go ahead.

MCMILLAN: What? What?

HANNITY: Got to take a break.

MCMILLAN: Oh, OK.

COLMES: All right. We'll find out at what age one actually becomes an adult when we get back. We'll continue with Susie in just a moment -- Susan Carpenter McMillan -- on the other side of this break.

Stay with us on HANNITY & COLMES.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLMES: Welcome back to HANNITY & COLMES. I'm Alan Colmes.

I continue with Susan Carpenter McMillan.

Now you said that power is to a woman as cleavage is to a man, right?

MCMILLAN: Yes.

COLMES: But many men are much weaker when they have to look at cleavage than a woman is with power. This is...

MCMILLAN: Well, I -- I'm certainly glad you admitted that you're the weaker sex.

COLMES: There are adult women -- a 24-year-old woman -- pardon me?

MCMILLAN: I said I'm certainly glad you admitted you're the weaker sex.

COLMES: I think in many ways men are.

HANNITY: Oh, geez.

COLMES: I think men often lack control when faced with a beautiful woman.

HANNITY: Oh, boy.

COLMES: So the idea that Chandra Levy could not make her own...

MCMILLAN: Only liberal men.

COLMES: ... decisions or that any of these women in D.C. are these poor, put-upon, innocent waifs in each case is a false argument, and you are -- it is a very unfeminist thing to say to suggest that a woman, even at the age of 24, who can't make a decision for herself -- a -- 24-year-old women get married. They have kids. They fight in the military. Come on.

MCMILLAN: OK. Alan, you're right. Some 24-year-old women are very mature. Most are not.

When you -- I dare say if you took a poll today and asked any mother and father of a college graduate or a kid who was in college, "Would you send your daughter to Washington to be an intern?" I imagine that the percentage would be very high that say no.

These people go to Washington. It's an Ivy League meat market. They're star struck, and they are innocent. They don't have the experience that a Gary Condit has. Can't you figure that out?

COLMES: And all over the country -- all over the country, every day, people of all ages, of both genders...

MCMILLAN: Does that make it right?

COLMES: ... look for love in all the wrong places.

MCMILLAN: Does it make it right, Alan?

COLMES: It happens all the time. Of course, it's -- I'm not defending it.

MCMILLAN: And, Alan, I want to know...

COLMES: I'm not defending that behavior. I want to be very clear about that.

MCMILLAN: ... something. You said how dare I -- how dare I politicize it. You opened your show by saying real men don't cheat on their wives. You tell me the last Republican who was fooling around with not one, not two, not three, 15, 20, whatever, interns...

COLMES: Do you want to go down the list of...

MCMILLAN: ... like we had in Clinton...

COLMES: Susan, do you want to go down the list...

MCMILLAN: ... and Condit.

COLMES: ... of Republicans who've...

MCMILLAN: No, I asked you...

COLMES: ... acknowledged affairs, who've cheated on their wives...

MCMILLAN: ... about interns.

COLMES: ... who were thrown out of office...

MCMILLAN: Be specific.

COLMES: ... or had to resign?

MCMILLAN: Alan...

COLMES: We don't know whether they were interns or lobbyists...

MCMILLAN: Alan...

COLMES: ... or people who were doing business with the government.

You don't even know all the people...

MCMILLAN: Alan...

COLMES: ... these Republicans who were having affairs. So don't give it that party business.

MCMILLAN: We send -- we send our interns back to D.C. as a job training -- we send them to the most powerful, supposedly protected place in our country. It's an honor to be an intern. It's where you want your young child to go. And what's happening? The doggone Democrats end up molesting these interns.

COLMES: Hey, Susan --, you want to go down the list of congressmen -Republican congressman who are no longer in office or have acknowledged affairs, who have had two or three different families, who have had children out of wedlock...

MCMILLAN: Alan...

COLMES: ... who have been embarrassed...

MCMILLAN: Alan...

COLMES: ... by youthful indiscretions at the same age that Bill Clinton was accused of doing what he did?

MCMILLAN: Alan, I asked you...

COLMES: Don't play that Democrat-Republican game because...

MCMILLAN: Alan, I asked you...

COLMES: ... it -- doesn't look good for Republicans.

HANNITY: We're almost out of time.

MCMILLAN: I...

HANNITY: Final shot, Susan.

MCMILLAN: I asked you a specific question. How many Republicans have molested interns when the families trusted them in...

COLMES: As many as Democrats. It's not a party issue, and you know it.

HANNITY: We've got to end right there.

Susan, good to see you. Welcome back to the program.

MCMILLAN: Thanks.

HANNITY: That is all the time we have left this evening. Remember for all news all day, stay with the Fox News Channel.

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