_______________ THE CLINTON CRISIS (01/22-28/98)

Wendy Kaminer's statement in "Did he, or didn't he?" (01/22/98) -- roughly, that suborning perjury is "only" a technical violation of the law, akin to running a stop sign, and in this case solely a "private" matter -- is truly depressing. The legal system requires that people tell the truth, whether those people deem the truth mere "technicalities," or mere "private matters," or not. I have just participated in a lawsuit in which millions of dollars were spent in defending a meritless claim, a claim that went to court only because someone arrogated unto themselves the right to lie -- or, in Ms. Kaminer's view, to commit "mere" technical violations of the law about private matters. Similarly, those who commit fraud on a massive scale -- names of the '80s come immediately to mind -- would surely welcome Ms. Kaminer as their jurist. Whether Mr. Clinton or one of his minions did suborn perjury is an open question. And I agree with Ms. Kaminer that the inquiry into his sex life is misguided. But the view that suborning perjury can be minimized in this way -- on the part of the very person ultimately responsible for seeing that the nation's laws of civil justice are faithfully executed -- surpasses understanding. -- Kyle Hoffman Clinton is right, the world is wrong, according to friends of Bill. Excuse this statement of the obvious, but there may still be some who don't understand that the Friends of Bill who fanned out to all the talk shows and newspapers over the last few days are using one of the oldest tricks in the propaganda book to try to defend Mr. Clinton: Attack those who are attacking him. This is not a new technique for Bill and company, and we've witnessed various disparaging comments from this gang about "right-wing whackos, hate radio, haters, far right fringe, anti-government nuts," and on and on. Anytime anyone says anything about Bill, this gang finds a ready ear in the media for their verbal graffiti as they lower their slack jaws and drool their puslike hatred for anyone who would dare say that Bill's government is screwed up. One doesn't have to be a Republican to understand that something is very wrong in the Clinton administration and that this business with the intern is only the tip of the iceberg, and that this Titanic administration should, if decent people have any say in government, sink. It's time that real Democrats stepped up, as did real Republicans during the Nixon years, to say: Right is right and wrong is wrong. -- H. Millard Costa Mesa, Calif. Why is Hillary happy? My wild guess: Hillary is a woman who likes money. Perhaps she made a deal with Bill: She'll stick by him no matter what, but for every woman who pops up in his life, another million of their fortune goes into her name. Monica Lewinsky is probably worth the Palace in Peking that awaits their retirement from office. Not unheard of. Remember the '80s movie "California Suite" by Neil Simon, in which Jack Lemmon was caught by his wife with a hooker in his hotel suite? Wifey merely smiled and ordered the limo for Rodeo Drive. "Mad? Why should I be mad?" she gloated. "This will cost you every cent you've got." With "Wag the Dog" hitting home so accurately, why not "California Suite" redux? -- Barbara Nichols (Laughing in Idaho) SALON | Jan. 29, 1998

R E C E N T L Y+| THE CLINTON CRISIS

If you'd like to submit a letter to the editor for publication,
please e-mail us at salon@salonmagazine.com.
Letters may be edited for clarity and conciseness.
If you do not wish the letter to be published, please say so.