Commentary

27th September 1998

Bill Clinton : paying the bill?

By Mervyn de Silva

Pity the poor President. Impeachment? will it come to that? On Wednesday his approval ratings had reached Sixty six percent, six points up. As a betting man - horses not politicos - I'll buy that. The same figure was registered on the issue of impeachment. Sixty six percent said "NO". This was soon after the videotapes were broadcast. In mid-August Mr. Clinton had "admitted inappropriate intimate conduct." That's not his language. That's surely a lawyer's lingo? But two weeks ago Kenneth Starr had cited evidence of "eleven potentially impeachable offences," including serious charges that Clinton obstructed justice and lied under oath.

Is he another Tricky Dicky Nixon? No, No, say millions and that popular judgement is good enough, many a reader would pronounce. Since this "case" is also a trial by the media this columnist turns to the most powerful pen in his time, James, 'Scotty' Reston of the New York Times, another example of how the child of a poor migrant family (Scotland) rose to the exalted (unofficial) post of the doyen of the powerful Fourth Estate in the country destined to be hailed "the sole superpower" before the end of the 20th century. Yes, no nation can challenge the United States - not Lenin's Russia nor Mao's China, only Japan an economic superpower,

What goes on in the White House or the private life of the President could affect other nations.

"Like many other American institutions in these fifty years, the newspapers have paid more attention to how they looked than what they did", wrote James (Scotty) Reston. Of Reston himself, it was said "by sundown, the Cadillacs line up. at his home, in Washington."

What then is the overwhelming question? Did the press "create' Clinton, and install him in the White House and give him two terms, the maximum, and is the selfsame media hell-bent on destroying him now? An English-language newspaper in Iran, the country that made history by overthrowing 'the American Shah', has said that "two factors are operative in the United States, money and sex. This was demonstrated by broadcasting President Clinton's "sensitive and embarassing video on sex while Dow Jones averages flashed at the bottom of the screen". The Iran News, a daily, had a word of advice too. What is good for both the U.S and the world at this time is for President Clinton to either resign, thus relieving the nation and the world of a weakened ineffective President or for everyone, people and the media, to leave him alone and let him carry out his duties as president."

While the advice, in the circumstances, is sound commonsense, students of American foreign policy must surely note that U.S. -Iran relations have obviously reached a stage that could be described as normal. After all, the revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini was aimed at a man who had chosen to call himself the Shahenshah Aryamehr... the King of Kings, the Light of the Aryans. Despite their own revolutionary history the U.S. (State Dept. and C.I.A) failed to read the signs in the streets, or place a few "bugs" in the mosques.

Cultural revolution

When the sole superpower sneezes, many a nation, small and big, catch cold.That's received wisdom. And yet while we keep repeating "The Economy, Stupid.." recognising the primacy of economic power, we have failed to recognise the crucial importance of cultural change. The Chinese who can claim the oldest civilisation called their Deng Xiao-peng-led movement a "cultural revolution."

American culture and mass communications have inspired a new revolution, a revolution in which the "American Centre" in the capitals of the world is more influential than the American Embassy. And it was in a neglected corner of the Peradeniya campus library, I discovered "The Great Gatsby" by F.Scott Fitzerald. It made a tremendous impact on this undergraduate. My responses to "the Clinton Revolution" have been influenced by that "moment of sudden illumination" (T.S.Eliot)

US policy

When America sneezes... yes, it is the impact of the American political instability that affects a majority of countries, many of them confronted by economic problems and governed by weak rulers or ruling parties. Asia is the most troubled region. It started in Thailand, moved to Indonesia and finally to the Korean peninsula. In partnership with the I.M.F. and the World Bank, the U.S.- led western alliance has tried hard to contain the dangerous, disruptive consequences of this crisis.

US economy

The American economy is still growing... at a moderate pace but the Federal Reserve banks in several areas around the country are reporting concern among businesses and consumers about the future, reported Nancy Dunne from Washington. What's more the farm sector is in its worst shape in a decade. The worst case however is Minneapolis. The industrial production sector showed a 1.7 percent rebound.... slightly better than predicated by Wall Street economists.

Impeachment move

In his 445 page report, Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel gave 11 grounds for impeaching the president. He accused Mr. Clinton of twice lying about the affair— in his testismony before Mr. Starr's Grand Jury and in the Paula Jones sexual harassement case. The report also says that DNA tests prove "beyond reasonable doubt that Mr. Clinton left a semen stain on a dress belonging to Ms. Lewinsky.."

In what the media called "a spirited reply" Mr. Clinton admitted "an inappropriate intimate contact" between him and Ms. Lewinsky but Mr. Clinton did not consider this to be sexual intercourse, as defined by a judge in the Paula Jones case. "This means that the report is left with nothing but the details of a private sexual relationship, told in graphic details with intent to embarass" the rebuttal added.

President Clinton rests.

Hulftsdorp Hill

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