Nixonian Aspects of the Lewinsky Story by DOUGLAS BARRICKLOW July 20,1998 DALLAS, TX We think we see a speck of light at the end of the tunnel. More and more political spectators seem to feel the Kenneth Starr investigation is finally winding down. No one knows for sure, of course, but it's not that outlandish an opinion all of the sudden given that Starr just introduced a few hand-picked Secret Servicemen to a D.C. grand jury. But with this apparent end in sight, there's a lot of speculation as to how much meat is actually going to be on the bones of the report Starr forwards to Congress. Especially, we are hearing predictions that there will be a massive show of public outrage if Starr's report is heavy on Monica and light on Whitewater. It seems if Starr has found relatively little having to do with his original mandate, then the late-developing Monica Lewinsky tangent to his investigation will come under heavy fire from those who think it's about nothing more than sex. To be sure, it's about sex. But just as surely, it's about more than sex.

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At its roots, the Monica Lewinsky Story is a tragic tale that came to the public's attention because of a rather weak sexual harassment lawsuit filed by that now famous Arkansan, Paula Jones. And even though sexual harassment has been one of the most debated mainstream political issues in the last decade, the media proved to be slow studies when it came to evaluating such a case on its merits. It was deemed far more interesting to play up the transparent political ironies that quickly surrounded the Paula Jones case. Republicans, who had trampled paths to the nearest microphones to champion the cause of Clarence Thomas when his conservative hide was dangerously close to being nailed to the Senate Judiciary Committee's wall, were quickly being transformed into touchy-feely sorts who sincerely felt the shame of a woman in Arkansas who may, or may not, have been propositioned by then Governor Clinton. Anita Hill may, or may not, have been propositioned by Clarence Thomas on a few occasions, but I guess Republicans just know how to pick their battles. The Paula Jones case, though, wasn't receiving high marks by those who often argue on behalf of victims in sexual harassment suits -- a fact that seemed to go unnoticed by most in the media. But I'm going to assume that the merits of this case weren't miscalculated by the president or his advisers. Yet we have reason to believe that, even though it was a dubious case that confronted our president, matters couldn't be left to themselves. It appears there was an opinion within his administration that people like Linda Tripp and Monica Lewinsky might be better served if they had the benefit of a little pre-deposition advice from someone sympathetic to President Clinton's circumstances. Did I mention the term "tragic" once before? Because this is just the type of situation that developed for our man Richard Nixon when the time came for him to seek a second term in office. With most polls showing the shifty-eyed incumbent with a comfortable lead as campaign season approached, he just couldn't leave well enough alone. No, the office of the president, as do many public offices, offers the one who holds it a vast latitude of options for planning and conducting activities that can then get swept under the rug and, hopefully, forgotten about. If it turns out that President Clinton suborned perjury or obstructed justice, history should view this in the same light as the Watergate break in -- a needless act set into motion by a paranoia within the president's psyche. Today, too many people tend to shrug off these types of political abuses, maybe with the sense that they've attained a more worldly perspective on things than the next guy. They know how the system works, and have "better" uses for their time than fretting over periodic glimpses at our nation's hegemonic underbelly. Of course, any schmuck can obstruct justice. But elected officials who use the powers of their offices to orchestrate efficient cover-ups of these obstructions, violating sacred public trusts in the process, shouldn't be allowed to benefit from the collective national callous Richard M. Nixon helped chafe into place. Please understand that I'm not arguing for impeachment here. Only when Starr drafts a report to Congress will we have information that will allow us to begin making that judgment. Right now, we only have access to information being reported by news organizations. And while the sourcing for this information may be incredibly solid, we don't know which information will be included in Starr's report. When the report comes, we'll have a responsibility to study it while in a tabula rasa frame of mind. But remember, no matter what is concluded by the report -- and even if it is Lewinsky-heavy -- there was a need to investigate this matter. The Lewinsky Story is about more than sex.

Send your comments to Coffee Shop Times editor Douglas Barricklow.