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 Trading One Soap Opera for Another * More on how weird the use of the English language has
become in this scandal: Monica Lewinsky's attorney, Plato
Cacheris, said, after being interviewed by the House Managers on Sunday, his client had been
“extremely truthful.” This “extremely” standard raises the bar pretty high for the President’s side.
* The old standard: “You’re either truthful or you’re not,” no longer applies. Now, there is a
continuum of truthfulness ranging on one end from “Clintonesque” to the other, “extremely.”
* Chad Willems reminded me that the House Managers’ interview with The Monica took place in
the Presidential Suite of the Mayflower Hotel. One more irony and I think I’ll rust.
* Former RNC Commo chief Ed Gillespie lost a bet yesterday afternoon when Bill Clinton did not,
as Ed had predicted, collapse into a small pile of salt upon being greeted by the Pope in Saint
Louis.
* Speaking of the Pope’s appearance in St. Louis, I wonder if CJ Rehnquist watched and, if so,
will make the appropriate adjustments to his costume today.
* The White House and Senate Democrats’ quaking over the witnesses issues is disturbing. On
the one hand they say Vernon Jordan, Sidney Blumenthal, and The Monica will not add anything
new or will, in fact, be damaging to the House case. On the other hand they are going to great
lengths to stop them from appearing. According to their logic, the Democratic National Committee
ought to be paying the fee for Monica’s use of the Presidential Suite at the Mayflower.
* One of the Democrats’ arguments is witnesses will extend the trial. By August of this year, how
many people will remember whether this trial went three weeks or five weeks or seven weeks?
* That heavy breathing sound you’ve been hearing the last two days are broadcast network
executives sighing with relief that they didn’t have to choose between airing afternoon soap operas
and forcing their viewers to watch First-Sister-In-Law Barbara Boxer whining. Well, maybe there
isn’t that great a difference.
* I want to point out – again – that the magnificent handling of this case by the President’s
attorneys has now led us to a point where the Senate will, today, vote NOT to adjourn The Trial
and will vote IN FAVOR of hearing from at least three witnesses. This, having started from
November 4th when the GOP had lost five seats in the House and there was no way the Judiciary
Committee would ever send Articles of Impeachment to the House. Who played the David Kendall
role in Hud?
* A Washington Post piece by Dan Balz and David Broder, the other day, reported on the results
of a focus group. One of the impressions was the group was unclear about the ability of Al Gore to
be President so were opposed to the removal of Bill Clinton. Talk about “Better the Devil you
Know.”
* International Olympic Committee officials from Mali and Swaziland have been asked to resign for
taking bribes. What’s the going rate for bribing an IOC member from Swaziland?
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