Monica Crowley compares Clinton to “Glenn Close at the end of Fatal Attraction”: “You think she's dead and then she sits bolt-upright in the bathtub”

On the January 13 edition of the syndicated program The McLaughlin Group, while discussing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY) presidential campaign, host John McLaughlin asked guest, conservative radio host Monica Crowley: “Let's go to the big enchilada, who is, of course, Hillary. What did you think of Hillary's performance?” Crowley responded: “Yes, well, you know, she's like Glenn Close at the end of Fatal Attraction. You think she's dead and then she sits bolt-upright in the bathtub.”

In director Adrian Lyne's 1987 film Fatal Attraction, Glenn Close plays Alex Forrest, a woman who begins stalking her co-worker Dan Gallagher and his family following a one-night-stand. In the film's climax, Alex attempts to kill Dan's wife, Beth, with a butcher knife while she's preparing for a bath. Dan hears the attack and wrestles Alex into the bathtub, appearing to have drowned her until Alex suddenly springs from the water, wielding the knife at Dan. Alex is then shot by Beth, who had gone to get a gun Dan bought to protect the family from Alex.

Crowley also stated, referring to a campaign event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, during which Clinton's voice broke as she talked about why she is seeking the presidency, “Look, I think that both [Newsweek contributing editor] Eleanor [Clift] and [MSNBC contributor] Pat [Buchanan] are correct when they say that the moment was probably authentic on her part, and she certainly leveraged it to her advantage.” McLaughlin pressed: “No setup question? ... No counterfeit there at all?” to which Crowley responded: “Well, look, I think she has been told to soften her approach. She's been told to wear softer colors, and I think she saw an opening where she could speak in the softer Jackie Kennedy-esque tones and if an emotional moment came up, grab it -- and she did.”

From the January 13 edition of the syndicated program The McLaughlin Group:

McLAUGHLIN: Let's go to the big enchilada, who is, of course, Hillary. What did you think of Hillary's performance?

CROWLEY: Yes, well, you know, she's like Glenn Close at the end of Fatal Attraction. You think she's dead, and then she sits bolt-upright in the bathtub. Look, I think that both Eleanor and Pat are correct when they say that the moment was probably authentic on her part, and she certainly leveraged it to her advantage --

McLAUGHLIN: No setup question?

CROWLEY: -- because -- well --

McLAUGHLIN: No counterfeit there at all?

CROWLEY: Well, look, I think she has been told to soften her approach. She's been told to wear softer colors, and I think she saw an opening where she could speak in the softer Jackie Kennedy-esque tones and if an emotional moment came up, grab it -- and she did. But now, she's turned the race essentially into an X versus Y -- an X chromosome versus a Y chromosome race -- where she is appealing constantly to women. She did again this weekend.