The
Senate voted 80-19 to expand NATO to include Poland, Hungary, and the
Czech Republic. Supporters called it a triumph for the Clintonian vision of a
big, happy family of democracies. Critics called it a triumph for the
Clintonian vision of a big family of clients for happy U.S. defense
contractors. Doomsayers warned it would freak out the Russians, who might
resort to nuclear weapons. Half-cynics argued that the United States'
obligation to arm and defend the new members isn't worth the military help the
new members will provide. Complete cynics replied that the Poles are better
allies than the French. (Also check out
Slate
's "Recycled.")
(5/1/98)
Ken
Starr's Whitewater grand jury indicted former Justice Department official
Webster Hubbell on fraud and tax evasion charges . Starr also won
indictments against Hubbell's wife and the couple's lawyer and accountant.
Analysts agreed that Starr is turning up the heat on Hubbell in order to make
him finger the Clintons for allegedly directing hush money to Hubbell to shut
him up about Whitewater. Contrarians argued that 1) if Starr really had the
goods, he'd have won indictments of Hubbell on obstruction of justice charges
and 2) the indictment shows that Starr has given up on cutting a friendly deal
with Hubbell. Hubbell's reply: "The office of the independent counsel can
indict my dog, they can indict my cat, but I'm not going to lie about the
president." The Starr camp's spin: This connects Hubbell to Susan McDougal and
Monica Lewinsky in a web of obstruction of justice. The Clinton camp's spin:
This connects Hubbell, McDougal, and Lewinsky in a web of obsessive persecution
by Starr. (See 4/27/98 for an earlier in the week update of Starr's recent
investigation.) (5/1/98)
President Clinton held his first solo news conference since the onset of
the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He tried to talk about economic growth and NATO
expansion, but reporters focused their questions on Lewinsky--and then focused
their follow-up coverage on their questions about Lewinsky. CBS spent 38
seconds showing its own reporter asking a Lewinsky question, leaving 14 seconds
for Clinton's reply. The pundit consensus: 1) Clinton ducked all the Lewinsky
questions. And they call this a news conference? 2) He tried simultaneously to
turn the other cheek (to Starr and Newt Gingrich) and to portray Starr as the
obsessed leader of a partisan vendetta. 3) His vendetta spin (which the New
York Times called "self-serving") curdled the turn-the-other-cheek spin.
(5/1/98)
Computer programmer Larry Froistad was arrested after confessing in an
alcohol/addiction-related Internet support group to murdering his daughter.
Members of the support group turned him in. The media seized on the Internet
angle, pondering whether e-mail is private (answer: No) and whether it's
ethical for members of an online support group to breach confidentiality if
they suspect a crime (answer: You decide). Big-picture theorists concluded
courts will now treat Internet confessions as fair game. Skeptics argued
that this case doesn't set such a precedent, because Froistad confessed to the
police by phone after learning that support group members had told them about
his postings. (5/1/98)
Newt
Gingrich escalated the Republican assault on President Clinton's ethics.
Gingrich said: 1) The Clinton administration is involved in the most "complex,
interlocking lawbreaking" and "the most systematic, deliberate obstruction of
justice [and] coverup" in U.S. history. 2) The Clintonites "unpatriotically
undermine the Constitution ... on behalf of their client." 3) If Clinton
doesn't want to fire Ken Starr, "he should tell his staff to shut up." 4) Other
Republicans should denounce Clinton too. Pundits said Gingrich was retaliating
against obstruction of the House fund-raising investigation by Democrats, who
in turn were retaliating against Rep. Dan Burton's description of Clinton as a
"scumbag." Clinton spokesman Mike McCurry suggested Gingrich is in cahoots with
billionaire conspiracy theorist Richard Mellon Scaife, adding that "as soon as
[Gingrich] comes back to his senses, we'll do business." (4/29/98)
The
Federal Reserve Board says the Year 2000 problem will probably cost U.S.
businesses at least $50 billion. The problem is that computers that designate
years by two digits must be reprogrammed to distinguish 2000 from 1900. The bad
news: It could slow down the economy enough to force a recession, as the 1970s
oil shock did. The good news: 1) For this economy, a slowdown is just what the
doctor ordered. 2) Plenty of companies are desperately seeking programmers.
(4/29/98)
Daniel
Petrocelli, the lawyer who won the civil case against O.J. Simpson , says
Simpson murdered his ex-wife for resuming an affair with football star Marcus
Allen. Petrocelli told Dateline NBC that 1) interviews with Simpson's
associates always led back to Allen; 2) Simpson envied Allen for staying
healthy and enjoying a longer football career than he did; 3) Nicole Brown
Simpson had often used Allen to rile O.J.; and 4) her affair with Allen "made
Simpson snap." Petrocelli conceded that he didn't present this theory in court
because he couldn't prove it. Allen's spokesman denies that the football star
had such an affair. (4/29/98)
Alabama Gov. Fob James Jr. , the nation's most vigorous elected advocate
of student prayer, apologized for cursing out a new Alabama law requiring a
moment of silence in public schools. James, upset because the law doesn't
authorize audible prayers, told its sponsor that it "ain't worth the damn paper
it's written on" and "ain't going to require shit" until Congress passes a law
to back it up. James later discovered that his microphone was on.
(4/29/98)
Iraq
celebrated Saddam Hussein's birthday . Thousands of civilians marched in
his hometown. Young girls sang his praises. Children staged a play for him. The
Iraqi media covered the celebration nonstop. A newspaper reported that 22
million candles were lit to honor him. The U.N. Security Council marked the
occasion by renewing sanctions against Iraq for another six months.
(4/29/98)
Kenneth
Starr and his deputies interrogated Hillary Clinton for several hours at
the White House. The subject was her legal work for the savings and loan at the
center of the Whitewater scandal. Videotape of her answers will be shown to the
Arkansas Whitewater grand jury, which will disband May 7. Pundits played up the
tension between Starr and the first lady (since she recently called him "a
politically motivated prosecutor who is allied with the right-wing opponents of
my husband") and debated whether he will indict her. The overwhelming consensus
is that he won't. (4/27/98)
Paula
Jones attended the White House Correspondents Association Dinner , as did
President Clinton. Some pundits called her presence tacky (she was a guest of
Insight magazine), and some guests booed her. The Washington Post
called her dress "cleavage-coercing" and reported that her handler, Susan
Carpenter-McMillan, dabbed sweat from Jones' upper lip and set aside a piece of
used chewing gum that Jones handed her. Most news accounts concluded that
Clinton overshadowed Jones with a funny, largely apolitical speech featuring
digs at Congress ("a show about nothing"), the press corps ("I hardly have any
time to read the news anymore. Mostly I just skim the retractions"), and
himself ("I am so sorry ... about disco"). (4/27/98)
A 14-year-old Pennsylvania
boy fatally shot one teacher and wounded another and two boys. He was
charged with murder and tried as an adult. The media linked the case to other
recent shootings (in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Kentucky) and focused on the
warning signs and the importance of taking them seriously. Two clues in the
Pennsylvania case: 1) The boy had said, "I'm going to go to the dinner dance
and kill some people." 2) A friend had nicknamed him "Satan."
(4/27/98)
