Finally! Hillary Clinton on Miley Cyrus -- and the photos

The 2008 presidential race long since became the lengthiest political campaign in the recorded history of man. In the process, the range of topics the candidates are asked to opine on seems to expand exponentially.

Exhibit A: In what's billed as an "exclusive" for the omg.yahoo.com celebrity news website, Hillary Clinton comments on the pressing matter of the Miley Cyrus photo shoot scandal (for background, consult this Calendar story).

Indeed, Clinton not only comments, she offers a carefully calibrated response that balances giving Cyrus -- aka Hannah Montana -- her due (no point in offending a huge fan base of future voters) while providing the appropriate dose of adult tut-tut.

"From everything I've heard she's a great kid and obviously very talented, but I think we need to do more to preserve our kids' childhood," says Clinton (who must have more time to spare than we realized).

The rest of the piece can be read here. Be forewarned, though -- the article's link to Clinton discussing "Life & Politics, Part II" takes you to a pre-New Hampshire primary interview.

We applaud the site's initiative in snaring this interview. Still, it knows, like us, that what America really wants to know is how Barack Obama's two daughters -- much more probable Cyrus devotees than Chelsea Clinton -- reacted to the smudge on the teen star's image.

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: Getty Images 

Comments

[kelly]

I don't like you at all

[pacificGatePost]

LEIBOVITZ AND THE HANNA MONTANA TEARDOWN

Adult market magazines using kids in provocative poses? Is that ONLY inappropriate behavior?

http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/04/leibovitz-and-hanna-montana-teardown.html

Adult executives know better. They just don’t seem to DO better.

There is nothing innocent about an adult magazine portraying a 15 year old pretending to be naked, hair tousled, wrapped in a bed sheet.

[Chris Wilde]

Protect our kids from who? I wonder who she'd put the blame on.
http://futureosophy.blogspot.com/2008/04/miley-cyrus-photo.html

[philipodaniel]

If the liberal media lustbuckets have the freedom to exploit our innocent youth, we conservatives should have the freedom to remove their ugly heads from their bodies.

[amber nolan]

miley i look up to you and you strike naked photos of your self that is a shame to me well you still got a fan but you keep doing wat your doing now your going to lose fans Expeshely me so please stop !!!!!! mmosty your biggest fan

Amber Nolan

[Alyssa Valdez]

Personally I'm a gigantic fan of Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana!!! She rocks!!!
I'm only 16 and can't vote yet but Hillary Clinton, don't count on me ever voting for you! The Miley pics was just one silly mistake! It's not like she was posing nude showing everything!!! She's covered a bit!!! You go to the beach seeing many small bikinis or nothing on girls and with Miley you are complaining about the photo she did. Come on it's not her fault entirely. She is a minor which means one parent must have approved of it. Do the math!!
Both of my parents know of her pics and they don't let me stop listening to her or stop watching her show!!! Come on!!

[Hannah Monfanna]

is miley republican, democrat, independant?!?!? I hope she's democrat, but no matter what, she rox!!!!! I love you miley!!!!! I listen to her new album allllll the time!!!!

[Laurie]

I'm thinking Miley is probably a democrat since her afather is reportedly a storng democrat who even asked McCain to stop using one of his songs and her grandfather was a politician and democrat as well. Kids usually identify with the same party as the parents, but she may be too young to really know yet.

[lily]

i love miley and emily very much they are funny but emily is cute miley is pretty