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I could have gotten away with
it. The kids were in bed, my wife was away, the shades were drawn. No one
would have ever known.
I was tempted. But I’m also a
guy who tells his kids that character is what you are when no one is looking. I
had to be strong, for the children.
So I did not watch the Barbara
Walters interview of Monica Lewinsky last week. I was pretty sure it wouldn’t
be necessary anyway, and sure enough the newspapers, radio, and TV bludgeoned us
with it all the next day and then some. Still, dreary little spectacle that it
was, a few simple truths did emerge from the interview and our reaction to it.
For starters, the
public is not tired of the scandal. Nielsen Media Research estimates that the
interview was seen by up to 74 million viewers, more than any TV show this year
except the Super Bowl. It is now the top-ranked “news related” show of all time
and the most watched interview since Walters sat with Michael Jackson in 1993.
Further, Lewinsky’s tell-all book hit number one at Amazon.Com even before its
release the day after the interview.
Confession is said
to be good for the soul, so let’s come clean: As a society we aren’t sick of it,
we don’t want to move on, and we don’t have better things to do.
Next, it’s clear that the prime
beneficiary of the much-vilified actions of Kenneth Starr and Linda Tripp is
that woman, Ms. Lewinsky. Soon after allegations of her affair with the
president came to light in the Paula Jones depositions, the White House began a
campaign to discredit her, characterizing her as a “stalker.” The only thing
that kept Lewinsky from joining Jones, Jennifer Flowers, Kathleen Willey, et al
from being tagged as another lying hussy is that little blue dress. Preserved,
you will recall, on the advice of Linda Tripp.
Kenneth Starr made her rich.
While Lewinsky’s legal fees have been reported at close to $2 million, it’s also
estimated that her book, interview, and other earnings will range from $6 to $15
million. As for the legal costs, witnesses who tell the truth and commit no
crime don’t need attorneys. Lewinsky created the need for the immunity Starr
offered by committing felony perjury. She can pout all she wants, the fact
remains that she managed to make crime pay and Ken Starr kept her out of jail to
enjoy it.
We can also bury
the “friendship that blossomed into love” fiction. Ms. Lewinsky told the nation
she was flashing her underwear for the president soon after their first real
conversation and that they were intimate later that day. She doesn’t believe he
even remembered her name until weeks later.
Then there’s the
stock market myth. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 191 points the
day after President Clinton was trashed in the Lewinsky interview and followed
that with a stunning 268-point push to a new record high. Yet every time a drop
in the market coincides with a bad hair day for the president, we’re treated to
a chorus of dour-faced media mopes blaming his evil critics. Thanks in part to
Barbara Walters, it’s now evident that Wall Street doesn’t give a rat’s rump for
Bill Clinton’s political fortunes one way or the other.
I say “in part”
because the phenomenon isn’t new, just misreported to the point where it’s hard
not to think of it as a deliberate deception. Last December 15, when the
declaration for impeachment by GOP moderates in the House made it a near
certainty, the market soared 127 points. It jumped 85 points the day after the
president was impeached. On the day he was acquitted the market actually
dropped 88 points.
So much for the
“our economy needs him” twaddle.
In the end, the
interview fallout provides a glimpse of what the impeachment saga will look like
with the hype stripped away. A man immensely concerned with his legacy, the
president may find history considerably tougher to spin than the present.
© 1997 – 2002 Brent Morrison
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