- By William Saletan - Slate Magazine

HOME / the week/the spin: The week's big news, and how's it's being spun.

By William SaletanPosted Saturday, Sept. 7, 1996, at 3:30 AM ET

(posted Friday, Sept. 6)

Iraqi troops withdrew from Kurdish territory in northern Iraq after two days of cruise-missile attacks by the United States. Spooked by Saddam Hussein's past resilience, analysts predicted he'll be back and theorized that he had subtly outwitted the United States (by regaining control of northern Iraq, besting Iran, and rallying his citizens against the Great Satan). U.S. officials admitted that by focusing retaliation on the south (bombarding military targets and expanding the zone in which Iraqi aircraft are forbidden to fly), they were, in effect, just using Saddam's attack on the Kurds as an excuse to cripple his ability to threaten oil supplies elsewhere. Some commentators denounced the United States for betraying the Kurds; others blamed the Kurds for bringing the tragedy on themselves by inviting Saddam into their internecine conflict. Observers noted that the 1991 Gulf War coalition had unraveled: France refused to enforce the no-fly zone; Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Turkey refused to let U.S. planes use their bases or air space to attack Iraq. By Thursday, the Turks were free-lancing in the battle zone (bombing hostile Kurds), and the Washington Post warned there was "no end in sight."

The Iraqi crisis also engulfed the U.S. presidential race. Dole accused Clinton of "weak leadership," then backed off, as aides explained that he hadn't meant to be so harsh. Reporters noted that Dole had led a congressional delegation to Iraq in 1990 to appease Saddam and had opposed economic sanctions on behalf of wheat farmers in Kansas. A Dole aide suggested that Clinton had leaked news of the assault on Iraq in order to distract the press from Dole's campaign events. Democrats and Republicans in Congress reversed their roles from the Gulf War, with Republicans complaining that the president had defied the War Powers Act (by failing to consult them before taking action) and Democrats dismissing the complaints as partisan posturing. Conservative columnists ignored Clinton's hawkish retaliation, insisting that Saddam's aggression in the first place proved Clinton's weakness. (Charles Krauthammer accused Clinton of "timidity" for failing to kill enough Iraqis with his missile attack.)

Hurricane Fran struck Cape Fear, N.C., with 115 mph winds and a 12-foot tidal surge. Half a million people were evacuated; 11 died. Fran was compared with other recent hurricanes; she was judged bigger than this year's Bertha but no match for 1989's Hugo. Reports differed as to whether residents' memories of Hugo had (a) persuaded them to take Fran seriously and get out, (b) persuaded them that they needn't get out, since they had endured the more formidable Hugo, or (c) made Fran even more terrifying than Hugo, since they now knew what to expect.

Former Clinton advisor Dick Morris signed a $2 million book deal with Random House. Press reports indicated that Morris (a) betrayed Clinton by secretly striking the book deal with Random House five months ago (publisher Harry Evans said he's already received the first chapters), then (b) betrayed Random House by using an escape clause to up the offer after his value was enhanced by exposure of his relationship with a prostitute. Morris reportedly has also suggested that CBS and Time hire him as a consultant. Commentators concluded that shame is dead and all publicity is good publicity, especially in publishing. Among the examples cited: O.J. Simpson, the Mayflower Madam, and former GOP consultant Ed Rollins. The New York Times' Maureen Dowd lamented that "we live in a time when infamy sells." Morris' agent asserted, "If authors had to live lives of moral purity, there would be no authors."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shook hands with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and affirmed Israel's commitment to continuing the peace process. Analysts agreed that Netanyahu had been forced into the meeting by pressure from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, and the Israeli press; the Washington Post called it "a grim, lockjawed handshake, conducted at arm's length after negotiated assurances that Arafat would not attempt an embrace or [to] plant a kiss." (Netanyahu used photos of Shimon Peres in cordial poses with Arafat during the recent Israeli election.) Newspapers declared Arafat the winner (for dispelling Palestinian complaints that he had been snookered into a bogus peace pact) and Netanyahu the loser (for reneging on his campaign pledge never to meet with Arafat and infuriating his right-wing supporters). The Los Angeles Times concluded that "the meeting marked Netanyahu as a pragmatist rather than an ideologue."

The National Football League kicked off its new season. Super Bowl champions Dallas Cowboys were badly thrashed, leading analysts to fret/gloat that their dynasty is over. The Green Bay Packers were anointed the heir apparent. Sportscasters celebrated the once-mighty Packers' return to glory, but seemed apprehensive about spending winter weekends covering outdoor games in Wisconsin. Former Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson enjoyed a debut victory as Miami's head coach, adding to his aura of genius and to exciting speculation that his new team will become a powerhouse as his old team fades. The Baltimore Ravens (nee Cleveland Browns) won their first game, soothing Baltimore's (a) bitterness over losing the Colts to Indianapolis years ago and (b) guilt over stealing their new team from Cleveland. Commentators in New York sighed that the Jets and Giants are still a joke.

Politicians escalated their war over the war on drugs. Bob Dole said he would consider enlisting U.S. troops; critics pointed out that the military wasn't supposed to become a national police force. Dole also suggested that drug use had doubled among "babies." Dole and Clinton attacked each other in television ads, with Clinton boasting that he had "expanded the death penalty for drug kingpins" and "appointed a four-star general drug czar." Analysts agreed that Clinton is well-positioned on the issue because of his 1994 crime bill, his alliance with police groups in favor of gun control, and Dole's past opposition to the creation of the drug czar's office. (For an assessment, see "The Gist: Clinton's Drug War" in "The Compost.")

Immigration roundup: An immigration reform bill was stalled in Congress by liberals' opposition to a provision that would allow states to deny public education to children of illegal aliens. Cuban-Americans were reported to be furious about Republican-initiated provisions in the recent welfare reform denying public assistance to legal immigrants; political analysts suggested that this may help Clinton carry Florida. A coalition of American mathematicians urged Congress to curtail the influx of foreign professors, fearing that a glut of academic talent will force American Ph.D.s to teach high school.

In Mexico, Zapatista rebels halted talks that were supposed to end their uprising against the government. Meanwhile, the government braced for a new wave of lethal attacks by a second guerrilla group, the EPR, which is said to be better-armed, better-financed, and more ruthless than the Zapatistas. The Washington Post observed that the EPR was feeding on persistent rural poverty; the New York Times reported that Mexican police were losing credibility due to alleged corruption; the Wall Street Journal quoted analysts who fear the rebellion might drag Mexico into the Latin American syndrome of military rule. But Standard & Poor's upgraded its evaluation of Mexico's financial prospects, citing "reduced vulnerability to potential political and external shocks and the recovery of macro-economic stability."

Convicted Whitewater culprit Susan McDougal was threatened with 18 months in jail for contempt of court after refusing to tell a grand jury whether Bill Clinton knew about illegal transactions (he has testified that he didn't know). McDougal said she was resisting prosecutors' efforts to use her as a pawn against Clinton. She also argued that her testimony could be used against her in a perjury case because her statements, though true, would conflict with the false testimony of other witnesses. The Wall Street Journal editorial page suggested that McDougal was falling on her sword under instruction from the White House and was angling for an eventual presidential pardon: "Unless she has reason to believe the President lied, of course, there is no point to the angst she now displays."

The 10-hour Beatles Anthology Home Video was released in cassette and laser-disc versions. The anthology combines video, concert, and studio footage into a complete documentary on the band's history. The Los Angeles Times called it "marvelous," "breathtaking," and "a valuable primer for anyone who wants to be in a band." But the Washington Post gagged on the price ($160 to $230), noted that "there is nothing about their personal lives here that wasn't in the [shorter and free] TV version," and concluded that the film's executive producer "should be ashamed of himself."

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William Saletan is Slate's national correspondent and author of Bearing Right: How Conservatives Won the Abortion War. Follow him on Twitter here.