ABSTRACT
Early in the 2008 US presidential primary season, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd asked whether Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton could cry her way to the White House (NY Times, January 9, 2008). Dowd’s column referred to Clinton’s emotional moment before news cameras following rival candidate Barack Obama’s win in the Iowa caucus. The alleged “unmistakable look of tears in [Clinton’s] eyes” prompted Dowd’s question. The start of her column is pertinent to everyday understandings of authenticity and we quote it at length.
