>>Can you imagine being Monica's father
Her father was last seen cursing Clinton for turning Lewinsky into shorthand - a new verb - for a sex act.
Editorial: Lewinsky, the verb
THE LONG-term historical repercussions of the Clinton impeachment are impossible to predict. But the Lewinsky episode has produced at least one short-term contribution to the popular culture lexicon: an eponymous euphemism for oral sex.
Television usually is a reliable reflection of pop culture, and in this case at least three programs have recently featured a character referring to a "Lewinsky." For example, in last week's episode of NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,' a character is described as "getting a Lewinsky." Similar references have appeared this fall in NBC's "Cold Feet" and HBO's "Sex and the City."
"Law and Order" was the last straw for Monica's father, Dr. Bernard Lewinsky. He is demanding an apology from the show's producers and NBC for using his last name in such a suggestive manner.
"I deserve an apology and so does Monica," Mr. Lewinsky told Variety. "It's not right she be dragged down to the floor again."
That's an interesting choice of words. We were under the impression that his daughter was a willing participant with the nation's chief executive -- indeed, she initiated the, um, relationship when she snapped her thong underwear to Mr. Clinton outside the Oval Office.
"The point behind my outrage is that there is a family behind this name," Mr. Lewinsky said. "I think it's disgusting they would even consider saying something like that."
It's a little late for Mr. Lewinsky to worry about reputations. His indignation comes long after his daughter acted like a trollop, wrote a book about her affair with the president, gave numerous print and television interviews about what she did (including a plum prime-time spot with Barbara Walters), appeared on "Saturday Night Live" in a skit in which she was Bill Clinton's wife in 2001 and recently gave tips on how to prevent lipstick from smearing (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).
Clearly, discretion is not Monica's strong point. Yet, her father blames TV for tarnishing the family name. It's not hard to see where the poor girl got her moral bearings.
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