Economist, Aug. 29
(posted Saturday, Aug. 29, 1998)
The cover editorial questions the wisdom of the United States' anti-terrorist missile strikes. While the strikes were ethically justified, they may spur further terrorism in revenge. Seeking justice in the courts would have been more prudent, if more difficult. ... A story trumpets the latest advance in toilets. A renowned Japanese toilet manufacturer has invented a commode that analyzes your urine's blood sugar--a boon to diabetics. Next step: urine sampling toilets that check your liver's health and test for cancer.
New Republic, Sept. 14 & 21
(posted Saturday, Aug. 29, 1998)
A story says Democrats are wrong to fear that a Clinton resignation will lead to disastrous midterm election results. Republicans lost many seats after Nixon's resignation because of a struggling economy, not because of Watergate. It's too late for strong GOP candidates to emerge this year, and voter turnout won't be depressed by Clinton's departure. Thus, Clinton should go. ... The "TRB" column scolds pundits for claiming Clinton is no longer effective: "Since when do we kick presidents out of office because they are no longer effective?... Harry Truman was a laughingstock in Washington after 1948, but he stayed in office. ... Perhaps no duck was lamer than Ronald Reagan after Iran-Contra, yet resignation was never a serious issue."
New York Times Magazine, Aug. 30
(posted Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998)
The cover piece wonders why Americans buy bottled water. American tap water is safe, and any chlorine taste evaporates if the water is left to settle for a few hours. Unlike European water bottlers (Evian, San Pellegrino), who capture minerals and rich flavor, American bottlers seek sterility and tastelessness. ... A story tsk-tsks the West for accepting the election victory of Cambodia's Hun Sen. A former Khmer Rouge soldier, Hun Sen used threats and bribes to ensure his victory, but international monitors concluded that a rigged election was better than no election at all.
Harper's, September 1998
(posted Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998)
A fascinating story explains the life cycle and social customs of honeybees. Hives feature the mathematical genius of honeycombs and precise divisions of labor. Some workers guard the hive entrance, others collect nectar, others dry nectar by beating their wings, others groom the queen, others manufacture an antiseptic salve that coats the hive, etc. ... From the "Index": "Average number of public school students expelled each school day last year for gun possession: 34."
Premiere, September 1998
(posted Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998)
A dispatch from the porn industry's annual awards ceremony entertainingly and comically explains the modern porn ethos: bravado, shamelessness, and (believe it or not) increasing degradation of and violence toward women. The piece is bylined with pseudonyms but bears the unmistakable mark of comic novelist David Foster Wallace: excessive footnotes, excessive and nontraditional abbreviations, excessive and occasionally cloying self-consciousness, gratuitous use of Latin phrases, and employment of 10 cent words such as "cathedra," "synecdoche," and "clerestories."
Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report, Aug. 31
(posted Tuesday, Aug. 25, 1998)
"Clinton in Crisis" is the tag on both covers, lumping together last week's Flytrap revelations and missile strikes. Newsweek's immense package wins on star power: The Rev. Jesse Jackson describes his counseling session with Hillary and Chelsea (they will stand by Bill to the end), and George Stephanopoulos contributes a long essay urging the president not to resign but to "repair the breach" between himself and the public. Both magazines run articles on Hillary (she was in the dark about Monica until last week) and Al Gore (Newsweek says the veep's campaign finance scandal will haunt him, while U.S. News says Clinton's character flaws make Gore look great). The similar missile strike stories include maps of the attack sites and diagrams of the Tomahawk missile but little news.
The news overshadows U.S. News' celebrated college rankings, which are relegated to the back of the issue. The magazine cops out of picking America's best university: Harvard, Princeton, and Yale tie for No. 1. Amherst is the top college.
Newsweek runs thumbnail sketches of next summer's Big Summer Movies. Get ready for Austin Powers II, Tarzan and, of course, the new Star Wars.
The Nation, Sept. 7 and 14
(posted Tuesday, Aug. 25, 1998)
The cover package assesses Clinton's legacy. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, setting the general tone, says Clinton has failed to accomplish anything lasting or to advance a coherent agenda. Other writers call Clinton "more Nero than hero," compare him to ineffectual 19th century President Grover Cleveland, and bemoan his inability to carry through promises about health care, race, education, and job training.
Weekly Standard, Aug. 31
(posted Tuesday, Aug. 25, 1998)
The Standard calls for Clinton's resignation or impeachment. If he's not ousted, Clinton will remain an "unquestioned and unrepentant villain." A related article calls for Clinton's staff members to resign (or perhaps we could impeach them, too?). They should be ashamed of having lied for a president who lied to them. Another piece claims the Washington establishment has finally turned against Clinton, and so the country must necessarily follow. Also, the Standard prints the draft of the mea culpa speech that Clinton aide Paul Begala wrote and Clinton ignored. The draft contains clear and forthright apologies and no mention of Kenneth Starr.
Time, Aug. 31, 1998
(posted Friday, Aug. 21, 1998)
A special issue, published four days early, is a 14 article blitzkrieg of Clinton coverage. The lead story recounts the tense White House countdown to testimony, speculates on how Hillary felt during the ordeal (betrayed, then stalwart), and dissects the legal equivocations in The Speech. Time's exclusive: While Clinton's testimony "generally matched" Lewinsky's, he flatly refused to answer explicit questions about sex before the grand jury and "did not acknowledge engaging in [oral sex] with Lewinsky." ... Another story says that turning over the infamous blue dress to Kenneth Starr was never part of Monica's immunity package. By design, Monica's lawyers never had the dress tested to determine its "smoking gun" potential. After Monica got immunity, her team tossed the dress to Starr as a freebie anyway. ... Another article says that scandal-weary Americans will seek a "straight-shooting" president in 2000. But is Al Gore the one for the job? Can he weather the Clinton scandal? He's jammed between a rock (disloyalty) and a hard place (loyalty). And don't forget all his dubious fund-raising phone calls--they may still lead to an independent counsel investigation.
--Seth Stevenson