The Latest Clinton Scandal: Death Wish in the White House?
Is it the worst moment of Bill Clinton's checkered career? The third major sexual scandal involving the sitting President of the United States exploded into national headlines on Thursday, January 22. The question on many lips that morning was, will this be Clinton's Watergate?
The Clinton Presidency is no stranger to scandal. During his first election campaign, allegations of an extra-marital affair with Gennifer Flowers followed the would-be President. During the first term of his Presidency, former employee Paula Jones brought a sexual harassment case against Clinton. The Jones case finally came to head last week, when President Clinton had to deliver sworn testimony in court. Through all this, the ongoing
Whitewater scandal, being investigated by Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr, drags on interminably. Whitewater has the potential to cause most damage, with its allegations of shady land deals and improper financial transactions - in which both Bill and Hillary Clinton are alleged to be involved. The only problem with the Whitewater investigation is - it's too complicated. The average American doesn't have the patience to absorb hour after hour of televised hearings on complicated financial arcane. In the end, sexual scandals are easier to comprehend, more easily capsulated by the tabloid press.
Understandably, Clinton's political enemies were overjoyed when the latest sexual scandal hit the press on Thursday last - allegations that the President had a brief relationship with 24-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Even more damaging are the allegations that the President instructed Monica to lie about it when questioned by federal investigators.
On the surface, these seem to be fairly unlikely charges. Would the sitting President of the United States really put his entire career in jeopardy for a briefing with a 24-year-old? However, Clinton's problem is - whether the allegations are true or not, once the charges have been made, the courts have to investigate until he is cleared. And it is in that arduous process of investigation that real political damage can be caused by his Republican opponents.
Today, Thursday, the Lewinsky scandal has hit all the newspaper front pages. It already threatens to be a firestorm that will consume the White House. Even if the allegations are not true, the President's friends and aides will have to spend the next few weeks furiously battling the charges. Independent Prosecutor Kenneth Starr is in possession of 17 tapes secretly recorded by Linda Tripp, a former White House aide. The recordings of conversations between Tripp and Lewinsky reportedly have the former intern speaking of a relationship with Clinton. As the probe continued, FBI agents began interviewing other interns assigned to the White House.
Earlier in the day, the president forcefully denied the allegations. Just before a meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Clinton said to journalists, "The allegations are false, and I would never ask anybody to do anything other than tell the truth." During an interview on the PBS programme "NewsHour", he also said "I did not urge anyone to say anything untrue." First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters on Wednesday that she believes the allegations are part of a "concerted effort to undermine his legitimacy."
Journalist Thomas H. Moore explained on Thursday that "having an affair with an intern is not a federal crime, but lying about it, or asking others to do so, is... Allegations so far involve possible perjury, suborning perjury and obstruction of justice.
" Clinton's potential legal problems may go beyond the courtroom. Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said if the charges of asking Lewinsky to lie are verified, Congress could consider impeachment.
A USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll reported that 54 per cent of Americans believe Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky, but only 39 per cent believe that he asked Lewinsky to lie about the matter. SALON magazine conducted interviews with some noted columnists - the divergence of their views on this matter reflect the wide variance of opinion among the American people. They also reflect a growing cynicism and loss of faith in political leaders. Here are excerpts from some of the more revealing comments:
Camille Paglia, controversial feminist, author of Sexual Personae:
"My attitude is, I don't care what men or women in public office do in their private life. As a strict libertarian, I believe that's entirely their own business. But what we don't want is a kind of mixing up of the private with the public. Therefore if you're in a position of leadership, you shouldn't be having affairs with your subordinates."
Gene Lyons, columnist, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:
"Maybe it's a case of political intrigue. The timing is interesting. The Paula Jones case is going into the toilet, and everyone knows it, except the media. Kenneth Starr has nothing on Whitewater. It's possible that this has been cooked up by Clinton's enemies as a desperation move. What we may have is some sort of coup attempt, and right now the rebels have the radio station and the television station. The question is: Which way is the Army going to go? ...My guess right now is that Clinton will survive, crippled. Again."
Martin Anderson, former assistant to President Nixon and President Reagan:
"If the allegations are not true, it won't even be a footnote in the history books. If it's true, they should have said, "Gee, I'm sorry, it happened." Admit it and say it won't happen again. The American people are very forgiving, it's amazing how much the public will forgive. But they don't like, is to be lied to."The last word belongs perhaps to Wendy Kaminer, a lawyer and public policy fellow at Radcliffe-Harvard. She quite rightly points out that the media's relentless focus on sexual scandals is distracting attention from the real issues at hand - those that affect thousands of unemployed, homeless, poverty-stricken "forgotten" Americans:
"All of this makes me nostalgic for the days when a president was investigated for legitimate crimes. If the American people want someone moral in office they should elect the pope. I don't think these allegations are serious. It epitomises the trivialisation of the news. This story is a lot of fun for people. It's gossip. I don't think the behaviour is relevant to his ability to govern. I'm not a fan of President Clinton, but I don't think we are focusing on the right thing. This is no more outrageous than the welfare bill or the immigration bill."
[Author's Note: President Clinton signed laws bringing drastic cuts in welfare coverage and legal immigration]
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