The Breakfast Table

As the Clinton Turns

Hey Beam:

Dinner was lovely, thank you. And in the car on the way, I found Monday’s WSJ–which, unlike you, I don’t get at home. I only get the two Boston papers and the NYT. Then I read about ten papers on the Net. Do you know of any good support groups for people like me?

In the section of the Journal I picked up there was a piece by Dorothy Rabinowitz slugged “All The Presidents?” As in, all the Presidents do it. Sterling. She mentioned that the newly recycled John Dean said, “Watergate grew out of hate and enmity–but in the current case, the offenses were committed out of love.” Her comment: “That may come as a surprise to the loved one to whom the President referred as ‘that woman, Miss Lewinsky.’” You go, girl!

Lanny Davis, she notes, has appeared on talk shows to point out that Eisenhower never had criminal charges brought against him for his putative Kay Summersby fandango. Rabinowitz presents some historical research involving Truman and General Marshall that strongly suggests there was no affair. But if there were, it was a real love affair, and it was one woman. The General/President was not having at interns in the Oval office anteroom or airing his whaddya’ callit’ in front of a state worker in a hotel room after a luncheon.

And Lanny Davis in his defense of Clinton is starting to seem silly–just one more poor schmoe who is hewing to the line, My country, right or wrong … only it’s coming across as My mother, drunk or sober.

More Clinton wreckage: Harold Ickes may be nabbed on a perjury wrap for lying to the Senate about political favors he did to gain Teamster support. If it’s true, I for one will be shocked, shocked!

My empathy, please, to Mrs. B. on the occasion of having to herd three children to three different schools. My kids are big and only one of them is in school. Medical. And surely you jest about my being “toddled off to the nuns.” I actually went to very progressive schools where we wore the habits. Well, uniforms. And come to think of it, those schools are probably the reason I can’t add or read a map.

As for the market, of course it’s coming back! Don’t people stop to think that all those shares sold have buyers?

xxMargo