Steven:
I live overseas, and nobody here can understand it. They all ask the same questions: The economy is doing well, no? No wars, no foreign policy disasters? So why is everybody so upset about a little squirt in the wrong hole? Don't all men in power do that?
It's not about sex (although in your neck of the global woods I can understand why that springs to mind - you may know, as I do, of a legendary establishment in Olongapo known as Jolo's). It's about obstruction of justice and perjury. It's not just that the president lied; the evidence at this point seems to indicate strongly that he lied to the public and he lied under oath. It shouldn't matter whether the original offense was not changing the toilet paper roll, accepting illegal contributions, or selling influence to foreign governments. Lying under oath about anything undermines the trust we place in our officials.
Monica gets all the press because sex sells. The average American understands a little infidelity more than he understands the implications of having an "enemies list," FBI files rifled, crypto-keyed missile guidance systems being given to China, the convoluted payoff schemes and kickbacks of Madison Guarantee and Whitewater, and violations of federal campaign finance laws. And most reporters are too pressed for time, too unobjective, or too lazy to explain the importance of these issues to us. Clinton has taken full advantage of our ignorance of civics and our willingness to take White House press releases at face value. So far, Ken Starr has over 300 pages of material to present to the House; I would imagine there's much more in that document than Monica Lewinsky.
BTW, if you enjoy the fruits of "Foreign Earned Income Exclusion," you can thank President Reagan for that. Have a San Miguel for me, please.
RS |
