The
International Monetary Fund and the United States are bailing out South
Korea . The cost is reportedly $55 billion--a record--including $20 billion
in backup loan guarantees from the United States and Japan, and another $15
billion from the World Bank. This follows bailouts of $17 billion and $40
billion for Thailand and Indonesia, respectively. The United States and the IMF
moved quickly because South Korea's situation is worse than was originally
thought and because, without the bailout, the crisis might spread to Japan and
eventually to the United States. (12/1)
Israel's Cabinet approved a plan to relinquish more of the West Bank to
the Palestinians. Two small problems: The plan doesn't specify how much land
would be turned over, or when. Palestinian cynics said the plan couldn't be
serious because if it were, the Cabinet wouldn't have approved it so decisively
(16-0, with two abstentions). Israeli cynics said that Netanyahu was counting
on Palestinian cynics to reject the plan, so that he'd get credit for offering
it (thereby appeasing the United States) without having to fulfill it (thereby
appeasing Israeli right-wingers). Sure enough, the Palestinians rejected it.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu approved more West Bank settlements in defiance of the
U.S. plea for a settlement freeze (after having complained that President
Clinton "humiliated" Israel by refusing to meet with him). (12/1)
A panel
of defense experts and former military leaders accused the Pentagon of
gross strategic errors in battle planning and weapons procurement. Among the
chief indictments: 1) We're too well prepared for an implausible two-war
scenario (Persian Gulf plus Korea) and too poorly prepared for an increasingly
plausible terrorist assault on the United States. 2) We're armed for the
comfortable fight we'd prefer to wage (Air Force bombing) instead of the messy
fight necessary to win wars (urban ground combat). 3) We keep buying fancy
technology that can't be supported from low-tech bases in battle zones.
Analysts agree that the criticism is largely valid and that it will be ignored.
(12/1)
Public-relations buzzards are cashing in on the Iraq showdown before it
disappears. 1) Louis Farrakhan announced he will visit Iraq as part of his
world tour and hopes to show that Saddam (who is "more popular with his people
than President Clinton is with the American people") is a man we can work with.
The U.S. government denounced Farrakhan's trip, thereby helping him promote it.
2) While seeking to limit U.N. access to Saddam Hussein's 63 palaces, Iraq
paraded nearly 100 coffins containing what it said were corpses of children
killed by cruel U.N. sanctions. 3) Israel bashers renewed their efforts to link
the crisis to Israeli intransigence in the Middle East peace process. This
enabled Israel apologists to denounce the linkage, thereby diverting attention
from Israeli intransigence. (12/1)
The
Arlington National Cemetery cash-for-crypts story collapsed.
Insight , the Washington Times magazine, initially reported that
burial plots "allegedly have been 'bought' by fat-cat donors to Clinton's
reelection committee and the DNC." Rush Limbaugh, Ollie North, and Gordon Liddy
made hay of the story, and several congressional Republicans demanded
investigations, thereby entitling the mainstream press to wade in. The Army
eventually released the list of those getting waivers for burials. It showed
only one major donor, and he had served in the Merchant Marine in World War II.
Conservatives fell back on three arguments: 1) So what if it's a lie? The
larger truth is that Clinton's record made it plausible. (See
Slate
's "Readme" for more.) 2) The White House prolonged the story by
failing to disprove it more quickly. 3) By broadcasting a lie, conservatives
laudably hastened its exposure as such. Democrats consoled themselves with the
observation that with enemies like these, Clinton hardly needs friends. The
media, as always, pondered what it all means for the media. (11/26)
Media
moves: 1) Mort Zuckerman hired Harry Evans away from Random House to
oversee the New York Daily News , U.S. News & World Report ,
and the Atlantic Monthly . Evans says he's delighted to resume "Boy
Scout" journalism. Critics say he's all glitz and no talent. Media reporters
are looking forward to a resumption of Evans' feud with Rupert Murdoch, who
owns the rival New York Post . 2) Geraldo Rivera agreed to stay at
NBC. He gets $4 million a year and gives up his lucrative lowbrow syndicated
talk show in exchange for more highbrow assignments. Geraldo's spin: "This is
something I need for my honor, for my family, for my own self-image." (NBC News
President Andrew Lack added, "I am America's news leader.") 3) Isiah
Thomas quit as vice president of the Toronto Raptors to broadcast
basketball games for NBC. (11/26)
Former
South African first lady Winnie Mandela was accused of murdering a
14-year-old boy. A former bodyguard told the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission that he saw her stab the boy to death. Mandela was previously
convicted of assaulting and committing the boy, but not of killing him.
Problems with the accusation: The ex-bodyguard hadn't implicated her in his
previous accounts of the murder, and another of her henchmen has already been
convicted of it. Analysts questioned whether her appearance before the
commission, which was supposed to help revive her political career, might end
up killing it. (11/26)
British tabloids are
having a field day with the divorce of Earl Spencer , Princess Diana's
brother. The attorney for Spencer's wife says that Spencer 1) committed
adultery with a dozen women; 2) summoned his wife to his bath to inform her, "I
no longer love you and you're no good as a wife"; 3) expressed remorse by
telling one of his mistresses that his wife deserved a husband who could "help
her deal with her shortcomings." After Diana's death, Spencer had questioned
the royal family's ability to raise her children properly and accused the
tabloids of residing "at the opposite end of the moral spectrum" from the
saintly Diana. In view of this week's divorce proceedings, the Sun
crowed, "He is not fit to lecture anyone about morality and decency." (Also see
Slate
's assessment.) (11/26)
