Washington Times-EDITORIAL • May 2, 2000
That's no joke
Worth flagging no less for future anthropologists than for
future historians is the fact that out of the 2,600 people at
Saturday's annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner
— most of whom, of course, were news writers and editors hosting
a heavy contingent of Washington and Hollywood hoo-has — only
Internet reporter Matt Drudge saw fit to report what may have
been the evening's defining image: a video clip purporting to be
former Independent Council Kenneth W. Starr, puffing on a cigar,
and flashing his underwear in a manner suggesting, one might say,
sexual arousal. The crowd, as they say, roared.
Is a body wholly funny bone-deficient if this juxtaposition
of imagery — impeached president and vilified prosecutor — fails
to bring on an oxygen-depriving attack of the giggles?
Considering the trampling the law has suffered at the hands, or,
rather the feet of Mr. Clinton and his band (however merry they
might be on gala occasions), forgive us if it hurts when we
laugh. It's true that more than a year has passed — a Paleolithic
age in Washington — since the president was disgraced, impeached
and acquitted. Few probably even remember that Mr. Clinton came
late to last year's press dinner to avoid presenting
Lewinsky-scoopster Michael Isikoff with an intrepid-reporter
award, no doubt hoping to avoid a hearty handclasp like the one
he received at an earlier banquet from this newspaper's
award-winning Jerry Seper. But are scandal jokes still cute? Come
to think of it, were they ever anything more than a little bit
outrageous? "Over the past few months, I've lost ten pounds," Mr.
Clinton said. "Where did they go? Why did I not produce them to
the independent counsel?" Yukkety yuk.
Longer ago than the days of impeachment, of course, is the
White House travel office scandal, during which Billy Dale and
six other civil servants were summarily canned, slammed and
ruined to make way for a bevy of Clinton cronies. High time,
then, according to the White House, to turn their misfortune into
laugh-track fodder. Addressing the crowd, which included the cast
of the television show "West Wing," Mr. Clinton saw fit to
compare his first year in office to the show's first season: "The
critics just hated my travel office episode," he said. Guffaws
all around.
The president went on to joke repeatedly about the plight of
Elian Gonzalez — an episode that is still unresolved and painful
to many — by talking about the ease with which he would crash the
evening's after-party parties with Janet Reno — get it? — and by
pretending to notice suspiciously longer hair in a photograph of
himself. Then came a projected image of Mount Rushmore, featuring
Mr. Clinton, of course, with a caption that read: "Photo courtesy
of Greg Craig." Judging by the peals of laughter, it would seem
that the Fourth Estate is tickled to continue collecting
government handouts on little Elian's condition.
In short, a good time was had by all. "A nostalgic and
lighthearted look at his final months," enthused the Associated
Press. Mr. Clinton was "the real star of the evening," said The
Washington Post. The president's stand-up routine was even the
subject of discussion on ABC's "This Week," rendering Sam
Donaldson, if not exactly speechless, practically ungrammatical.
"Did you notice how the president, I mean, he was just like —
well, he was like a professional comic in the way he'd say, 'I
don't think so.' "
To "debate" the issue further, Mr. Donaldson introduced
Regis Philbin — "a guy who knows a lot about entertainment" — who
was perhaps more illuminating than expected. "I noticed that
outside of maybe just a little minor thing by Jay [Leno] last
night, that all of the bad things that we should stay away from
when we're talking about the — President Clinton — were not
mentioned at all," said Mr. Philbin. Out of the mouths of guys
who know a lot about entertainment.
Mr. Clinton, of course, showed a different strain of
reticence in choosing his subjects, sticking to the small and
expendable — Billy Dale, Elian Gonzalez and even Ken Starr. But
don't bust your britches yet. The laws Mr. Clinton is known to
have flouted — aptly personified by Mr. Clinton's victory mockup
of Mr. Starr — are in the end the laws that are supposed to
protect us all. And that might not all always seem so funny.
=================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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