CGB, on the reference in the talking points document, could you give a link to that document? I haven't seen that document yet, and didn't know it was available on the 'net. This ready availability of documents to all "common citizens" while the event is happening is surely one thing that makes this current crisis/scandal unique in the history of the Presidency.
Unfortunately I don't see how authorship of the talking points document will ever be proven. They used to be able to link type to typewriters, but I seriously doubt this thing was typed on a typewriter. If it was, then someone is more than a little behind times.
But anyway, assuming the document is genuine and not fabricated, then it looks to me like Clinton said that the incident was after her husband died, but (pardon me for being cynical), I would think that Clinton simply decided that if he said that, then he wouldn't have been kissing/groping/whatever a married woman, which at least would save her reputation amongst her deceased husband's friends and relatives. But evidently if that was the case, then Clinton didn't realize that widows don't immediately start french-kissing people (or whatever they did) before their husbands have been laid into the grave -- at least not in polite society.
CGB, here's how the situation looks to me:
The majority of Americans believe Clinton probably had an affair with Lewinsky. For the ones who don't believe it, then they have to believe something equally or even more incredible, which is that Lewinksy has some sort of multiple-personality disorder. MPD itself probably isn't that uncommon, but for someone with MPD to have slipped by the Federal security screening process, THAT is very incredible. My brother, because he works at a laboratory that is 100% funded by the Energy Dept, had to get the lowest level security clearance, and they are thorough in the background check. They send guys with dark suits out to prowl around your "childhood" friends (through high school), talking with the childhood friends, and driving out to visit them face to face. That an agent visits the parents to conduct an "interview" is a given. That's where they get the info on who was the childhood friends. And that's just the part of the background investigation that we know about. So we can be sure that Lewinsky, as a recipient of a low-level security clearance, was thoroughly investigated, and any inclination towards multiple personality or delusional behavior would have came out, and the security clearance denied (unless there was corruption involved in that process).
Next: Most Americans don't believe the President when he denies the affair, etc.
Next: Most Americans don't care that he lied, if he did, because they feel that the President's sex life (although the Oval Office being used for sex would be something I believe virtually everyone would be very uncomfortable with) is his and Hillary's business -- which it is -- and in fact I really don't want to know what goes on there.
Bottom line is, Clinton easily survives this scandal, as long as it doesn't widen more than what we know so far.
In re really nefarious activities -- It makes me uncomfortable also, to think the Clintons could have for instance had a direct hand in the death of Vince Foster -- I don't know what to think about that. It appears the investigation was completely botched, perhaps intentionally, perhaps unintentionally, and we will undoubtedly never know for sure what happened there. But as for the President doing plainly illegal things, "white collar crime", I have no trouble believing that. There's been 18 indictments so far in the White Water land deal, and Webster Hubbell turns out to be practically a common thief, stealing from both his clients and defrauding the US government (cheating the IRS). People don't get real upset about white-collar crime though, and as long as none is pinned directly on Clinton, then he's home free there. I also realize that Nixon was Republican, and he wasn't above blatant law-breaking either. Nevertheless, one crime doesn't justify another, and the laws must be upheld, and fitting punishments administered. Anything else would cause society to rapidly degenerate (even more than it has).
DK |
