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To: Bill who wrote (758)	9/28/1998 6:46:00 PM
From: Drew Williams	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 880

Every day SLATE's Today's Papers reviews the main stories in the major US newspapers. On Monday, they add Pundit Central, which reviews all the weekend political talk shows (the Commenteriat.) from SLATE's Today's Papers, 9/28/98. PUNDIT CENTRAL--TV's opinion mafia on impeachment, a Paula Jones payoff, and midterm elections. The Comeback Kid By Bruce Gottlieb As it will be for the forseeable future, Issue 1 is whether President Clinton will be impeached. Issue 2 is the possibility that Paula Jones and President Clinton will reach a $500,000 to $1 million out-of-court settlement. Issue 3--which would be Issue 1 in a normal year--is the upcoming midterm elections. It was a good week for President Clinton, say the opinion mafia. "Once again, the Comeback Kid is coming back," says Gordon Peterson (Inside Washington). First, the popular reaction to Clinton's videotaped testimony was overwhelmingly positive. (Virtually all commentators predicted the exact opposite last week). The public relations coup astounds many conservative pundits, who think the videotape shows Clinton to be a shameless and incorrigible liar (Robert Novak, CNN's Capital Gang; Pat Buchanan, The McLaughlin Group; Bill Kristol, ABC's This Week; Paul Gigot, PBS's NewsHour With Jim Lehrer). Charles Krauthammer (Inside Washington ) has an explanation: "The Republicans really are the stupid party.... They're way ahead of the game, the president's in a death spiral, and what do they do? They put him on camera. As if nobody knows what happens when you put him on camera." Second, Newt Gingrich's assumption of the role of spokesman for the Republican Party on impeachment matters is a monumental snafu since most voters dislike him. James Carville appeared on NBC's Meet the Press to declare war on Gingrich, a strategy which even conservatives like Tucker Carlson (CNN's Late Edition) and Brit Hume (Fox News Sunday ) think will work. Carlson "wouldn't be surprised if six months from now polls show that your average American thinks that it was Newt Gingrich who went after his intern." A number of pundits predict that the House will vote to begin impeachment proceedings rather than strike some sort of deal (Gigot and Mark Shields, NewsHour; Michael Duffy, Washington Week in Review; Hume and Mara Liasson, Fox News Sunday). Liasson repeats the old George Will adage that impeachment proceedings have a momentum of their own, meaning that the spectacle of representatives discussing the president's behavior will erode Clinton's remarkable public support. Todd Purdum (Washington Week in Review ) says that Clinton's new PR strategy is to appeal directly to voters, which is his singular talent. In other words, he's running a third campaign. Paying Paula Jones an enormous sum of money to drop her appeal to reinstate the case is the same as admitting guilt, say some commentators (Kristol; Liasson; Hume; Jones's attorneys on Meet the Press and This Week). Still, most commentators think the benefits for Clinton of concluding the matter outweigh the costs. Consensus on the midterm elections--Issue 3--remains firm: Republicans will pick up a number of House and Senate seats. Nevertheless, say some commentators, this week's events have slightly improved Democratic chances (Gigot; Shields, NewsHour; George Stephanopoulos, This Week; Jack Germond, Inside Washington). THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY Mark Shields's appearance on Saturday's Capital Gang often features quips and anecdotes recycled from his Friday NewsHour gig. Truth be told, Pundit Central has grudging admiration for any man who can squeeze two paychecks out of one set of opinions. This week, however, Shields pinches a joke not from himself but from his NewsHour colleague! (Paul Gigot on Friday: Political allies advise Gingrich to keep his mouth shut, "Every other day Newt Gingrich takes [this advice]. Every other day he doesn't take it." Mark Shields on Saturday: "Newt follows [the shut-up advice] every other day.") YES, VIRGINIA, RUMORS EXIST AND THEY ARE EITHER TRUE OR UNTRUE Paula Jones attorney Donovan Campbell--TV's most awkward interviewee--appears on This Week to discuss a possible settlement offer from the White House. Campbell begins by refusing to discuss the details of any offer or counteroffer. But, asks Sam Donaldson, Campbell can at least confirm the existence of negotiations, right? "I will confirm that there have been recent reports of discussions, and some of these may be accurate," replies Campbell.