Lewinsky Outsky
The New York Times ,
Washington Post , and Los Angeles
Times lead with the decision by the judge in the Paula Jones lawsuit to
exclude all evidence relating to Monica Lewinsky. USA Today
goes with the apparently floundering negotiations between Lewinsky's lawyers
and Kenneth Starr. All four fronts are adorned with a fresh picture of Ms.
Lewinsky, appearing far more sophisticated than in the previous head shot or
the CNN reel. No doubt about it, sitting chiaroscuro in the back of a limo next
to a criminal defense attorney is a good look.
The Jones case ruling came, explain the papers, in response to Starr's even
broader request to halt all of the case's fact-finding in deference to Starr's
criminal investigation. The judge acknowledged that Lewinsky-related evidence
might be relevant, but says it's not essential. Jones' lawyers were
disappointed, being left in the position, observes the NYT , of not being
able to use evidence their case helped flush out. President Clinton's suits
liked the decision. "That's huge," said Robert Bennett in the WP . "That
means we try the Paula Jones case and not the Monica Lewinsky case. That's
huge, man." (The NYT has the same quote, but loses the "man.")
Pace Hillary Clinton, the NYT points out that this legal conflict
between the Starr and Jones camps shows that there's not a united anti-Clinton
front.
The LAT lead cites experts who argue that the decision has a big
pro-Clinton upshot: if the sworn statements Clinton and Lewinsky recently gave
to Jones' lawyers are not admissible, then they cannot be used as the basis for
perjury or obstruction of justice charges. The LAT notes that Starr's
office doesn't agree.
The NYT story on the Lewinsky/Starr negotiations has
plenty of goodies. Such as: Tripp saying Thursday night that she was present
late one night when Clinton called Lewinsky, and that she had seen "numerous
gifts" the two exchanged. The story also states that FBI agents removed several
dresses and pant suits from Lewinsky's Watergate closet and that the FBI
laboratory has tested them to see if they could be linked to Clinton. The paper
does not know the tests' outcome.
The WP , NYT , and USAT go front-page with the bombing
yesterday at an Alabama abortion clinic that killed an off-duty police officer
working there as a security guard. Operation Rescue reps joined pro-choice
advocates in condemning the action. Investigators are looking to see if the
crime has any connection to two unsolved 1997 Atlanta clinic bombings.
The Wall Street Journal "Washington Wire" reminds us that
journalists can dish it out but they can't take it, with its report that Sidney
Blumenthal, who is suing Matt Drudge for slander, has, via his lawyers, blasted
NBC's Tim Russert for having Drudge on "Meet The Press" last weekend.
The WP off-lead reports that the French foreign minister is
unexpectedly firm in his support of U.S. threats against Iraq. The new French
stance is also Page One at the LAT . Meanwhile, fully half of the
NYT op-ed page is given over to calls for action against Saddam. William
Kristol and Robert Kagan say that the U.S. should remove Hussein and his regime
from power. A.M. Rosenthal goes that one better: "Eventually he will have to be
killed for the safety of his own people and of the Middle East."
The NYT reports that the Manhattan Deli added two sandwiches to its
menu Thursday: The "Bill Clinton" and the "Ken Starr." And on the first day at
least, the former outsold the latter. The sandwiches are identical concoctions
of ham, baloney, and turkey. With one difference: The "Clinton" uh, comes with
a tomato.
