Tom Cole: I Don’t Think Timing of Monica Lewinsky’s Speech Was Coincidental

INSKEEP: "It’s a very real thing. We’re actually expecting to interview an author who has an entire book about the culture of shaming and the way that people can be flamed permanently in a moment. And so while people may cringe that Monica Lewinsky is out there again, I watched the TED Talk. It’s rather interesting. She’s reaching out and talking about other people and other people’s experiences and it’s never really a bad thing to try to understand what’s happening to someone else, particularly someone else on the other side of that digital divide, who you can reach in an instant and you can destroy in an instant but you may not realize —"
(CROSSTALK)
RADDATZ: " — be in the spotlight no matter what? Might as well do something good?"
ROBERTS: " — change your name or get married and take her husband’s name and — "
(LAUGHTER)
RADDATZ: "Good luck with changing the name. Congressman Cole, were you cringing?"
COLE: "No, well —"
RADDATZ: "Watch that?"
COLE: "No, not cringing but count me somewhat skeptical that the timing is purely coincidental. But look, it’s an important message. She certainly has a right to make whatever statement she cares to make and she’s gone through a lot. So you know, probably teachable moment but I don’t think it’s a particularly profound moment."