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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: j g cordes who wrote (17394)	2/4/1998 2:41:00 PM
From: Grainne	Respond to of 108807

<No Christine, I'm saying that most all people have had some moment of thinking "immoral" thoughts, or written a love poem, or picked up a magazine out of curiosity, or some family hidden secret. Could this broad and accusative definition "catch" most members of Congress or the Senate.. of course it could.> Yes, of course that broad definition would catch almost anyone; we all live in glass houses to some degree, and I think that is what makes the American public uncomfortable about examining the Clintons' dirty laundry, so to speak. In fact, according to the latest polls at least, a majority seems to be resoundingly unconcerned with Billy's sexual escapades. I suspect that if the economy were bad or we were generally in a bad mood and acting surly about something else, we would feel far differently. Definitely situational ethics!! However, from what I have read in the newsmagazines this week, there was a very calculated decision made near the beginning of the crisis that no one else would come forward to support Lewinsky or her story (Time Magazine), and that therefore the president's best strategy should be to deny everything. He practiced that little finger-pointing, "I want you to listen to me" speech until the wee hours of the morning with Harry Thomason, his Hollywood producer friend (U.S. News and World Report). It was a deliberate, scripted ACTING performance. There is a sort of slimy private detective employed by the Clintons, Jack Paladino, replete with gold chains and everything, who goes around trying to gather dirt on women who have come forth with allegations about Clinton (Newsweek). And of course we know about the staff hired totally to squelch "bimbo eruptions". I think this all goes way beyond the experience of the average American, or the average member of Congress, for that matter--even if they have been tempted in their marriages--and falls into major, long-term sexual pathology and fraud. Perhaps in the future, since everyone who was not in a coma these past few weeks now knows that the American public does not really care anymore about sexual mores in our presidents, it will not be necessary to commit perjury, suborn perjury or tamper with witnesses to keep marital infidelities hidden. Of course, I would still argue that non-reciprocal sex with a woman young enough to be your own daughter (Lewinsky), and groping women who come to you looking for jobs (Kathleen Willey) are behaviors that go beyond adultery and indicate lack of moral character. Obviously, most people do not agree with me, and I do understand the dangers of a McCarthy-like witchhunt. What I look for, though, in politicians is that they be egalitarian, respectful of the feelings of women, be properly ashamed of themselves and show anguish when they are caught um, unzipped, and have some kind of learning curve, and so Clinton is definitely not my man!