Death of American Virtue - Ken Gormley [280]
On Monday morning, January 26, as First Lady Hillary Clinton was welcoming a group of special guests to the White House for a program on education and child care, Vice President Al Gore stepped to the microphone and told the audience that he was honored to introduce “America’s true education president.” The crowd sprung to its feet and applauded, unsure how to deal with this unexpected appearance. Bill Clinton, wearing a blue suit and “red power tie,” strode to the podium and delivered an extemporaneous locution on after-school programs, Internet-accessible classrooms, and other forward-thinking education initiatives.
Then, before returning to the White House theater, where he was rehearsing his State of the Union speech, the president grabbed the lectern with one hand, raising his index finger threateningly with the other. His jaw suddenly became clenched like that of a fighter. His eyes were baggy from lack of sleep but possessed the kind of fire that indicated fierce determination. Bill Clinton glared directly into the camera and growled in a tired but combative voice: “I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I’m [not] going to say this again.” He wagged his finger. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman …” Clinton momentarily blanked out, forgetting the woman’s name. Then he recovered: “… Ms. Lewinsky.” He continued: “I never told anybody to lie, not a single time, never.”
The president thumped the wooden lectern, narrowing his eyes and looking around the Roosevelt Room. “These allegations are false. And I need to go back to work for the American people.” As Clinton swiveled to depart, reporters shouted questions about the true nature of his relationship with Lewinsky. The First Lady, still on the dais, stared blankly into space as her husband waved these questions off with an angry gesture, moving swiftly toward the door flanked by his Secret Service agents.
The White House later tried to smooth over this bad day, telling the New York Times that the president had become “distracted by events.”
Bernie Lewinsky, father of the presidential intern now known round the world, had watched Clinton’s remarks about “that woman” and felt like spitting at the TV screen. “I was offended with the cowardliness that he depicted with that phrase,” said Dr. Lewinsky, “and that’s when I began to feel that he was a really disgusting person. I’m not condoning anything, but if you’re going to have an affair, you gotta be prepared to have the consequences and face up to it.”
The day after the president’s impromptu, finger-wagging denial, First Lady Hillary Clinton launched a surprise counteroffensive of her own. Sitting in an easy chair with ferns adorning the background and giving a wide-ranging interview to Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today show, Mrs. Clinton suddenly rose to the defense of her husband. Dressed in a black suit with a chic necklace, she responded to Lauer’s question concerning the truth of the president’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky, insisting that she had talked with her husband “at great length” and she believed his story. “I think as this matter unfolds,” Mrs. Clinton stated, her voice growing tight as if she needed a sip of water, “the entire country will have more information. But we’re right in the middle of a rather vigorous feeding frenzy right now.”
When Mrs. Clinton alluded to abuses by the “independent counsel,” Lauer interrupted: “We’re talking about Kenneth Starr, so let’s use his name because he is the independent counsel.” At the mention of Starr’s name, the First Lady seemed stirred to arms. “I do believe that this is a battle,” she said, her voice punctuated by anger. “I mean, look at the very people who are involved in this.… The great story here, for anybody who is willing to find it and write about it and explain it, is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since