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It is clear that this president has declared war on the special prosecutor. His explanation to the American people was more an attack on Kenneth Starr than an admission of wrong-doing. Instead of putting it behind him, by his own words the president has assured that it will go on.
The president would like you to believe that this is just about sex; a private matter between him and his family. But if it ever was a private matter, it ceased to be when he went before the public and said, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." At that moment, he put the credibility of the President of the United States on the line. And for seven months since then, he has sullied the presidency. Shame on him!
As expected, the president chose his words carefully. He did not admit to a sexual relationship, only an improper one. But any shred of pretense that he did not lie is gone forever. In an interview on PBS in January, he emphatically said that he had no improper sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, nor any improper relationship with her at all. And in his deposition in January, he made it clear that his relationship was casual and inconsequential. So the diehard Clinton supporters are now going to have to say that they believed him in January when he said he had no improper relationship with her, and they believe him in August when he said he did have an improper relationship with her; or, that these lies do not matter. And once again, in response I'll ask, if these lies do not matter, which lies do?
That is a question which no one has attempted to answer. That, in and of itself, says a lot.
Several people have responded angrily to this essay. Mostly, they talk about sex... and how it is none of our business. They don't talk about the lies; they don't talk about the deceit. They talk about the sex; and how it is none of our business. They simply don't get it.
The president allowed his wife to go on network television and blame the accusations on a "vast right-wing conspiracy." He allowed his cabinet members, closest friends, party loyalists, and countless supporters to stick their neck out and tell a national audience with absolute confidence that they believed the president.
For seven months he allowed his friends and associates to be subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury. He sat back while dozens of the people who surround him were forced to endure hours of questioning and incurred thousands of dollars in legal expenses... all this, while he sat in the corner with his dirty, little secret. All this, just so he could save his hide.
How would you feel if you had done that to your friends, relatives, and associates? How do you think the president feels for what he did? Oh, he's angry at Kenneth Starr; that's what's on his mind.
There is no escaping it now: the behavior of this spoiled, selfish baby boomer is simply disgraceful.
Some math student with an 8-figure calculator should compute the cost to the taxpayers for all the public time that has been spent by the president, the lawyers and advisors, the secret service, and everyone else on the public payroll to uncover what the president chose to hide. That's our tax dollars - we paid for all that. I don't ever want anyone in the White House to complain about $40 million spent by Kenneth Starr. As they say down south, "that dog just won't hunt." As of today, that line of argument is completely null and void.
I surely did not expect the president to apologize to Monica Lewinsky for allowing the long arm of the White House to portray her as a liar. But I thought he might apologize to his cabinet members, friends, and supporters. And I thought he just might apologize to the American people for putting them through this long, embarrassing national nightmare. He should have started there. But even that was missing.
Even in my most modest assessment of his depth, I overestimated the character of this man.
Again, I remind you: As I said last week... and back in February, this is not about sex. It never has been. It is not about sex; it is about a pattern... a long, unbroken pattern of lies, deceit, abuse of power, and contempt for the American people. You need to understand that.
After Exhaling - a Few Days Later
The White House did not have time to do any "focus group" testing before the speech, but afterward they learned that people wanted Clinton to apologize; the speech had missed its mark. What to do now? The next day the press reported an alleged alternate version of the speech - the one that the president really wanted to give. It included an apology to Hillary and Monica and her family. Now where do you suppose that came from? Do you suppose Kenneth Starr leaked that?
Once again, the Clinton Administration is so arrogant... they think so little of the American people, that they think this little bit of phony showmanship will hide the truth again. I'm telling you... this is not about sex! This is but another example of lies, the deceit and utter disrespect for the American people.
And if the polls continue to show that the president should have apologized, you can bet that there will be a stonger "adjustment" somewhere down the road.
Now, you see, if we had only collectively given him a tie for his birthday, when he wore it, we would know that he is feeling our pain.
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