Reno's Justice Department now
spring the
thousands of non-violent drug and gun convicts they have
sent away by using similar tactics?) the current White
House defense consists of two mutually contradictory
premises, sort of like the old joke (well, it was never
much of a joke) about the fellow who swears he never met
the woman, and besides she was asking for it, dressed the
way she was.
It beggars reason how otherwise sensible
people can insist they believe the president when he says
he had no sexual relationship with Ms. Lewinsky, while at
the same time joining in attacking the then-21-year-old
woman as responsible for initiating the affair, sneering
that the little tramp had obviously set her cap for him.
Let us presume for the moment that Ms.
Lewinsky did let the president know she was available.
What is the normal standard of behavior we would expect
from a 50-ish employer, when the daughter of a financial
supporter -- entrusted to his temporary professional care
-- offers a sexual dalliance?
Yes, I lived through the sexual revolution.
Let unwed college students sleep three to a bed, so long
as they get their antibiotics. No problem.
But is it so unthinkable that a decent
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fellow might gently
explain he is flattered at the suggestion, but that he is
a married man, that the young woman's parents placed a
measure of trust in him, and that it would be taking
unfair advantage to act on such a suggestion?
Instead, from all appearances, the cad in the
White House dug up for Ms. Lewinsky the lyric of the old
Rolling Stones song: "Don't want you hanging around,
Over on my side of town. Don't want you part of my world
... Just you be my back street girl."
No, getting lucky with the serving girls is
probably neither "illegal," nor
"impeachable." But surely we can agree Bill
Clinton's behavior, if he so indulged himself, was
stunningly shabby.
Of course it's a shame Ms. Lewinsky's mother
is now before a grand jury, having to reveal her
daughter's heartfelt confidences. But the person who had
the power to stop such events from ever transpiring ...
who had the maturity and the responsibility to foresee
the likely results and prevent them ... was none other
than the President of the United States.
All right, we can still hope against hope that
one day Mr. Clinton will come out of hiding and convince
us he did not add to his original indiscretion the insult
and crime of sending henchmen
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