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 By The Way, Georgia 6 Is Still Republican
* NBC has decided to run the Lisa Myers interview with
Juanita Broaddrick tonight. According to published reports,
NBC had the basic information about a month ago but didn’t feel that the story was nailed down
until now.
* I don’t think we can fault a major news organization for being too careful and too judicious. Look
what happened to CNN last year when they breathlessly ran with the story that the US had used
nerve gas on suspected deserters.
* But let’s turn the tables. If NBC were the a Republican organization, here are the questions
which would – properly – be asked by the news media: You said you couldn’t run with the story
because it was ‘a work in progress’ and there were pieces of it you needed to nail down.
* What were those pieces and how were they “nailed down?”
* What occurred which gave you the confidence to go with the story tonight, confidence
you apparently did not have in January?
* Who was involved in the decision to hold the story?
* Were the same people involved in the decision to move ahead?
* If not, who was added to or subtracted from the decision-making team? Why?
* If Ms. Broaddrick seems credible tonight here’s where some of the political land mines will be
planted for the White House:
* House Democrats are not big fans of Bill Clinton; never have been. They manned the barricades
for Bill for over a year, holding their noses all the while. They will never go back on their defense of
the Bill and Monica scandal, but they might well take out their anger with him over things like
Broaddrick and Kathleen Willey by denying him votes on the legislation he so desperately needs
to make a record in his last 22 months in office.
* Second, if this story takes hold around the country, there will be serious questions asked of Al
Gore’s defense of Clinton throughout this past year. Does he still support the President? Does he
wish he didn’t defend him so strongly? Will the strategy of the Gore for President campaign
change? How?
* Third, the boomlet of Hillary-for-Senator will be over. Mrs. Clinton will not be able to meet with
any reporters in any venue without being asked about the Broaddrick story.
* Fourth, this is likely to drive a bigger wedge between the Official Feminists – Patricia Ireland and
Gloria Steinem – and every other woman in the country many of whom have to deal with people
like Bill Clinton and don’t need Pat and Gloria inventing yet new defenses for predatory men.
* Fifth, the Gloat Tour will be over.
* Johnny Isakson won the special election for Newt Gingrich’s vacant seat in Georgia with over 60
percent of the vote. The little press which was generated this morning focused on the fact that
Isakson is a moderate in contrast to Gingrich, intimating that the result is somehow a slap in
Newt’s face. Gingrich endorsed Isakson, a small fact which was missed by most coverage.
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