( CNN ) -- The silly season is upon us : the time during an election year when those trying to muck up the other side throw all sorts of nonsense about a candidate onto the public wall . Hillary Clinton , because she 's the Democrat 's presumptive 2016 front-runner , has become the target du jour . Frankly , I do n't know how public figures get through it . I 'm reminded of Henry Kissinger 's remark , which I 'm paraphrasing : `` It 's impossible to be paranoid in Washington because the definition of paranoia is the 'false belief that someone is out to get you . ' In Washington , someone is always out to get you . '' The latest craziness comes from Matt Drudge , who publishes the Drudge Report , the political equivalent of an online supermarket tabloid . Drudge funnels anonymous propaganda into the mainstream media , propaganda it might not buy otherwise . That 's the secret to his success . Of course , some of what he reports is solid stuff . But there is space to fill daily . So , somewhat like a National Enquirer reporter who dreams up his day 's `` scoop '' while showering , Drudge teases his readers with innuendo and fluff . So often , it 's hard to tell the difference between fluff and fact . Maybe Drudge is more entertainer than reporter . I imagine he enjoys baiting the mainstream media , then watching it look foolish when his story is debunked . Take , for example , his tweet about Hillary Clinton , which caused something of a media firestorm . People Magazine did a story on Clinton , and the photographer taking the picture for the front cover asked Clinton to stand by a lawn chair , grab the top , and lean into the camera . Only the top part of the chair showed after the picture was cropped for publication . So Drudge tweeted the picture , asking , `` Is Clinton Holding a Walker ? '' That was at 12:16 p.m. on June 4 . By `` coincidence , '' 74 minutes later , at 1:30 p.m. , The Wall Street Journal 's political division tweeted : `` Is that a walker ? Hillary Clinton 's latest magazine cover is raising eyebrows . '' That may be a record time from right-wing hype-and-blarney to validation from a major publication . Drudge 's tweet fits in with Karl Rove 's orchestrated charge in mid-May that maybe Hillary Clinton was `` brain damaged '' because of a fall she suffered . The idea was to portray her as physically unfit to be president and save the right a billion or two of negative advertising in 2016 . But it was n't true . Since her recovery , we 've witnessed a vigorous Hillary Clinton . Other pictures in that same issue of People show her animated , smiling and even combative . Apparently , though Drudge ( and perhaps The Wall Street Journal , which had no problem accepting his `` con '' ) wanted to turn Rove 's `` will it stick to the wall '' into a meme . How long will the media let this tweetle-dumb linger ? Russian President Vladimir Putin also took a pot shot at Clinton , calling her `` a weak woman . '' `` It 's better not to argue with women , '' Putin said , `` but Mrs. Clinton has never been too graceful in her statements . '' Referring to Clinton 's comparison of his aggressive actions in the Ukraine to Hitler 's with Poland , Putin ironically said , `` When people push boundaries too far , it 's not because they are strong but because they are weak . '' Then Putin delivered his zinger : `` But maybe weakness is not the worst quality for a woman . '' Well . It 's one thing to take on a world leader like Hillary Clinton , but an altogether different matter to offend half the planet while doing it . His `` It 's better not to argue with women , '' clearly shows Putin learned from his domestic encounters . Putin is a home-grown Russian social conservative . He considers the West degenerate for granting human rights to women and gays . If he had been born an American , he and the Robertsons of Duck Dynasty fame would likely be at one another 's backyard barbecues . I ca n't help but wonder if Putin would consider the following statements from Clinton as strength if a male had said them : Referring to George W. Bush 's `` I looked into his soul , '' Clinton said , `` I could have told ( Bush ) he was a KGB agent ; by definition he does n't have a soul . '' Politico ran the quote with the observation , `` This is n't going to play well in Moscow . '' Now we know it did n't . Being weak is not a Clinton hallmark ; some Obama supporters cautioned him to hire a food-taster if Clinton joined his Cabinet . Perhaps Putin considers referring to Russia as `` despicable '' for vetoing U.N. sanctions against Syria , and calling his election possibly fraudulent being `` weak . '' Or maybe he needs a dictionary . We can expect a lot more to be said about Hillary Clinton , since her memoir , `` Hard Choices , '' is coming out . I 'm sure it will reflect her strengths , and weaknesses . I 'm sure that on some issues it will provide clarification , and on others , controversy . And , unfortunately , I 'm also sure some in the media will be right there with some tweetle-dumb about it . Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion .
Donna Brazile chastises the wave of politically driven attacks that seem just for sport . Hillary Clinton , she argues , is the current target of those `` silly '' attacks from Drudge and others . She says they are not only wrong but also damaging to her campaign.