You may not be able to read this either then.
New York Post
6/21/98 STUART SCHNEIDERMAN
MONICA SPEAKS, HILLARY WEEPS
By STUART SCHNEIDERMAN
VANITY Fair played it for laughs. Monica Lewinsky, that Beverly Hills "femme fatale," vamped the president of the United States. With a breezy tone, the Herb Ritts spread chronicles a courtship, and presents us Monica's engagement album. The current Mrs. Clinton could hardly have been amused.
No matter what one's feelings about Hillary, few enjoy witnessing a wife being humiliated by her rival. Perhaps inadvertently, these pictures tell us that the latest Clinton scandal depends in large part on how two women choose to defend their honor.
In her first magazine picture, a radiant Monica lies seductively in the grass, beaming as though she is a movie star. The caption reminds us, if we missed the joke, that the commander-in-chief offered her a copy of "Leaves of Grass." Lost in the humor is the fact that the book has great sentimental value to Mrs. Clinton, who received her own copy on her first date with her future husband. Can you imagine a more humiliating gesture for a wife?
And lest we forget the personal stakes in Bill and Monica's great romance, four pages later we find the fan-bedecked first mistress sporting an extravagant diamond ring on the fourth finger of her left hand. Doubtless her flagging self-esteem would gain a boost if her beloved were to make her an honest woman by marrying her in 2001.
But what is Ms. Lewinsky trying to tell us? One might consider it self-deprecating humor, or a girl playing dress-up, but the issues are far too serious to joke about in public. Perhaps after considerable soul-searching she concluded that the president rejected her because of the potential political fallout, but that once the dust clears he will want her back. It's better than thinking of herself as a slut.
Distinct from the other women Bill Clinton has fondled, groped, and flashed, Monica seems to have judged that she and the president were in love. The pundits have pronounced her presumption nutty, and she even doubted it herself, especially when, as another caption reminds us, he forgot her on Valentine's Day. But then again, who knows what our glib and effusive president might have proposed in a moment of passion?
Now look at it from Hillary Clinton's point of view. Wouldn't you, if you were in her shoes, worry that your marriage is slated for oblivion once you are no longer politically useful? Wouldn't you feel as though you were about to be discarded and disgraced?
Certainly, Hillary Clinton has acted to protect her marriage and to maintain her honor as a woman. Yet only someone whose dignity was seriously compromised would blame it all on a "vast right wing conspiracy."
Hillary Clinton's public support has always been key to her husband's
overcoming his scandals. I believe that, in exchange, she has often demanded that, whatever he does, he not humiliate her in public. While Bill Clinton does not seem capable of covering his own shame, his wife may well have insisted that he cover hers. This essential psychological factor elucidates several mysteries in the current situation.
How could Bill Clinton, an intelligent Yale-trained lawyer, engage in what looks like a conspiracy to obstruct justice? How could he instruct Monica to return his gifts, and expect her to lie on an affidavit? The answer must be: Exposing the romance would have humiliated Hillary.
Recall his one public statement about Monica: "I didn't have sexual relations with that woman!" With his wife glaring at him in rage, Clinton demeaned Monica to defend his wife's dignity.
Any why has Clinton not simply stepped forward and admitted an indiscretion? Why has he refused to testify before the Lewinsky grand jury? Why have his spokesmen suggested that he might not even testify at an eventual trial? Quite simply: While Mrs. Clinton can defend herself against a mountain of circumstantial evidence by conjuring up a conspiracy, she could not as easily maintain her self-respect if her husband admits that he loved Monica Lewinsky.
Better to think it was just another fling.
Did Bill Clinton reject Monica because he tired of the relationship or because he had to protect his wife? And what does Monica believe? What she eventually decides to divulge depends largely on how she answers that question for herself.
The pundits have pronounced her yet another deluded young woman pinning her hopes on the false promises of an older married man. As long as Bill Clinton is president, no one can know for certain.
Stuart Schneiderman is a New York psychotherapist. His latest book is
"Saving Face: America and the Politics of Shame."
Copyright (c) 1998, N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved. |
