Maslin stamps, shouts "tramp!" in crowded blogosphere.

Outer Maslin: I'll get you, my pretty!

In an inadvertently revealing review, Janet Maslin, the book critic who's never met a cheesy thriller she didn't love, and who, as a film critic, gave a rave to Batman and Robin, has a hissy fit over Mimi Alford's memoir about her affair with JFK.  Alford was a 19-year-old virgin in 1962 when four days into her job as a White House intern  Kennedy deflowered her in Jackie's bed.  As far as Maslin is concerned, this makes Alford a tramp, a hussy, a hooor--well, you get the idea.  Actually, you probably don't because she goes so far as to compare Alford to Andrew Young, aide to John Edwards.  Hmmm.  Let's see:  A starstruck 19-year-old virgin in pre-pill days is seduced by the exceedingly charismatic leader of the free world.  A 40-year old man in the 21st century plays servile patsy to a smarmy one-term senator running for prez.  I don't think so.

Neither does the blogosphere.  Some see Maslin as a Kennedy apologist, and she is obviously that.  But the news in this book, as Maslin points out herself, isn't really news.  So it's not like Alford's ripped away any veils.  And the basic fact seems proven.  Historian Robert Dallek, by no means a Kennedy hater, reported on the affair 10 years ago. 

Some think Maslin's bile is devotion to Jackie, but that hardly makes sense as Jackie didn't seem to care much about her husband's affairs.

Inner Maslin:  Mimi, Mimi, Mimi!

Not a glamorous Danish spy or a bombshell Hollywood starlet or a seen-it-all gangster's moll, Alford was just an ordinary girl (not even a woman, just an ordinary girl) when she showed up at the White House.  Today, she is going on 70; Maslin is a few years past 60.  And any ordinary girl with an ordinary older sister knows how it is when Big Sis gets to do all the exciting stuff, have the groovy boyfriend, go to the fun parties and all that before you even have boobs.  Of course, it's unfair.  Of course, it's infuriating.  Especially when she wants to brag about it to your face.  If you'd been just a few years older, that could have been you with JFK.  And of course, you would have declined his advances, because you would have been chaste and pure, and worthy of his love (not like Mimi; of course he treated her horribly, and asked her to do vile things.  Oh, that Mimi!  Why must she ruin everything!)  Of course, the King of Camelot would have fallen in love with you.  And maybe, just maybe, you might have given in once, for one beautiful shining moment, when rose petals from the Rose Garden would have floated in from the window and showered you both.  Because it wouldn't have been anything sordid or dirty.  It would have been real love.  He would have loved you.  And you would have kept his secret forever and ever.  Because you're worthy.  Only you are worthy.

Here's the link to Maslin's review: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/books/once-upon-a-secret-mimi-alford-on-her-affair-with-kennedy.html?ref=books

Here are links to some of the responses:  http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2012/02/mimi-and-the-president.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/02/thinking-about-the-new-kennedy-revelations/252839/

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2012/02/12/ny-times-book-reviewer-janet-maslin-protects-jfk-slams-mistress-mimi-alf