-Caveat Lector-
from:
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<A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A>
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Impeached POTUS
President's Lawyer Friend "Hiding Vital Evidence"
Vernon Jordan keeps it all under his hat
VERNON JORDAN, the middleman in the alleged witness tampering by President
Clinton, was interrogated in a top security room in Capitol Hill yesterday by
prosecutors who believe he is hiding evidence which would prove Mr Clinton's
guilt.
The wealthy lawyer, businessman and presidential golf partner, faced four
hours of questions from Congressman Asa Hutchinson, the most effective
prosecutor of the 13 House of Representatives "managers" trying to persuade
the Senate to remove Mr Clinton from office.
It is widely agreed that Mr Clinton will be acquitted but senators are
searching for a strategy allowing them to arrive at a "not guilty" verdict
without seeming to have let the President off the hook.
Analysts doubted yesterday that Mr Jordan, an accomplished lawyer of renowned
sang-froid, would crack under pressure or say anything which would wound the
President. The American news media treat Mr Jordan gently and - perhaps
because he is black - shy away from anything more than passing references to
"inconsistencies" in testimony he gave during five appearances before a grand
jury last year.
Prosecutors believe Mr Jordan lied when he denied helping Monica Lewinsky
draft a false affidavit about her White House affair, and worked intensely to
find her a job as a pay-off for participation in a cover-up orchestrated from
the Oval Office.
When Mr Jordan arrived at the Capitol, he was taken to the windowless Room
407, usually used when Congress needs top secret intelligence briefings by the
CIA and other security agencies. He was deposed on video, and the President's
100-strong Senate jury will begin reviewing the tape today.
At issue are Mr Jordan's claims that he did not know of the President's affair
until it was made public last January, and that his job search for Miss
Lewinsky was conducted when he had time but with no great intensity.
Mr Jordan claims to have forgotten all of the content of many telephone calls
to and from the White House in the weeks prior to the explosion of the
Lewinsky scandal on Jan 21, except he is sure they had nothing to do with the
young woman at the centre of the storm.
Miss Lewinsky says she told him of her Oval Office sex sessions many weeks
earlier, long before she filed her false affidavit in the Paula Jones sexual
harassment case. She says Mr Jordan helped draft the affidavit and colluded
with her in deleting a reference to her being alone with Mr Clinton.
She claims, too, that Mr Jordan instructed her at a breakfast meeting to
destroy copies of love letters and other messages to the President. Mr Jordan
denied under oath that the meeting took place but prosecutors have the receipt
proving it did.
The White House is fighting to prevent the video taped depositions ever being
seen by the public. Mr Clinton's defence lawyers did not ask Miss Lewinsky a
single question during her interrogation on Monday, using only a fraction of
their allotted four hours to convey a brief expression of regret to her from
Mr Clinton for the bother she has endured.
Defence and prosecution are wooing Miss Lewinsky who could sway jurors either
way if she is called to give live testimony in the well of the Senate.
The lack of White House questions was variously interpreted. Democrats said it
showed that prosecutors came away empty handed and Miss Lewinsky added nothing
to existing testimony. One prosecutor retorted: "If I were a defence counsel
and I had a witness up there who could kill my client, I'd ask her nothing
too. I'd get her off the stand as quickly as possible."
The final prosecution witness, the White House aide Sidney Blumenthal, will
give a deposition today. The trial is scheduled to end by Feb 12.
The London Telegraph, Feb. 3, 1999
Impeached POTUS
New Day, But Same Shadow Over Clinton
by Mark Steyn
IT WAS Groundhog Day in America. In Punxsatawny, Pennsylvania, the country's
most famous groundhog, Punxsatawny Phil, emerged from Gobbler's Knob and
failed to see his shadow: that means only six more weeks of winter.
Back in the capital, Washington's most famous groundhog, Mayflower Monica,
emerged from her own local equivalent of Gobbler's Knob and also failed to see
her shadow (Linda Tripp): so only six more weeks of impeachment to go.
Of course, that's if you pay attention to old wives' tales. And, if Bill
Clinton had paid more attention to his old wife, he wouldn't have been out
chasing tail like Monica.
My hotel has now been transformed from a discreet Washington retreat into one
of those country-house murder-mystery theme weekends. First, Monica moved in.
Next, she moved the entire trial in with her.
On Monday, the intern took over the presidential suite just down the corridor
from me. Within minutes, she had managed to smuggle past the house detective
one press spokesperson, two Republican congressmen, three Clinton attorneys,
four Lewinsky lawyers, six senators and about 25 miscellaneous aides and
staffers. In my room, the maximum occupancy is four.
As the deposition began, presiding Senators Mike DeWine (Republican, Ohio) and
Pat Leahy (Democrat, Vermont) took the wing chair and windsor seat
respectively; the House impeachment managers sat on the full-sized queen
(that's a type of bed, not the intern), while Mr Clinton's lawyers relaxed on
the well-sprung king (that's a bed, not their client); Miss Lewinsky's
attorneys perched on top of the combination trouser-press and Teasmaid, while
the official Senate stenographer took the bidet; Monica was in her usual
position on the carpet.
Dozens of other assistants, associates and associate assistants were forced
out of the suite and took to loafing around in the corridor. As the day wore
on, room service sent up sandwiches - turkey clubs on sunflower bread with
applewood smoked bacon and basil mayo. Then, President Clinton sent up an
apology - lukewarm, ungarnished, and a year late.
If I were Monica, I'd have sent it back: "But I ordered the Fulsome Apology
served on a bed of nails with humble pie and a promise to leave Hillary as
soon as his term was up." Instead, the intern stayed loyal, her lips
uncharacteristically sealed.
For House managers, it was not a good start to the week. On Tuesday,
Washington "superlawyer" Vernon Jordan, taking time out of his hectic schedule
of intern job-placement, was escorted to a windowless room in the Capitol
attic, where a squadron of prosecutors attempted to parachute down into the
dense thickets of his cloudy memory and gain a secure foothold. But they were
left in in the dark: Mr Jordan didn't blow a fuse, but the room's electrics
did.
For the House team, this week is a last chance to come up with "something
new". But they have to find the "something new" in among all the old stuff, as
the Senate has forbidden them from introducing anything new.
"It's too late now to get into Kathleen Willey," snaps Republican moderate
John Chafee. Doubtless, in moments of rueful reflection, the President feels
the same way. The Senate is uninterested in the fate of Mrs Willey's cat which
mysteriously disappeared shortly after she spoke out against the President.
Many of us believe that this is the so-called "smoking tom" of the case - that
somewhere there's video footage of some shadowy Clinton operative caught with
his fingers in the kitty.
But, in this as so much else, the Senate is remarkably uncurious. As Alabammmy
Republican Richard Shelby puts it, "What we are interested in is dignity in
the Senate. We are not interested in a pornographic movie." The carefully
enumerated "Jane Does", those various Clinton lady friends who testified
anonymously in the Paula Jones depositions, will not be permitted to sully the
chamber.
But, just when Republican Senators are beginning to wimp out, here comes
Captain Ahab, determined to harpoon Free Willy one more time. The tireless
Independent Counsel is now musing on his right to indict the President before
he leaves office.
Constitutional scholars are divided on this question, but I say: go for it,
Ken. For one thing, Mr Clinton would be unlikely to be granted bail. And
having to do next year's State of the Union from a Federal penitentiary would
seriously cramp his style: no sycophantic Democrats jumping up and down, just
Sammy The Bull and Thumbscrews McGurk banging their mugs on the bars,
punctuated by vivid reminders that here's one place where they really know how
to define sexual relations.
The London Telegraph, Feb. 3, 1999
Crisis in Brazil
Brazil Appoints George Soros Aide Head of Central Bank
Now we make the big money
The Brazilian real lost its previous day's gains on Tuesday after the
government replaced Francisco Lopes, the central bank president, just three
weeks after he took the job and devalued the currency.
The finance ministry said Arminio Fraga, an economist and former employee of
billionaire financier George Soros, would fill the post.
Until his nomination is approved by the Senate, Mr Fraga will work as a
special adviser to the ministry. Demosthenes Madureira de Pinho, central bank
director of international affairs, will act as interim president.
The real had opened more than 5 per cent ahead against the dollar after
closing at R$1.91 on Monday. However, news of the reshuffle at the central
bank sent the currency downwards yet again amid continued uncertainty.
The real was at an intra-day high of R$1.75 to the dollar before the shock
announcement, but fell back to R$1.84.
Deposed bank chief Mr Lopes replaced Gustavo Franco on January 13 and
immediately announced an 8 per cent devaluation of the real, which was then
floated freely. Since then, the currency has lost about 35 per cent of its
value and panic has spread through Brazil on rumours of price intervention and
bank account freezing.
Pedro Malan, finance minister, who was forced to appear twice on national
television to dismiss the rumours and quell widespread unease, has also come
under fire for his handling of the crisis.
It emerged on Tuesday that he too had tendered his resignation to President
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who refused to accept it. Mr Malan said he would
remain in his post "as long as I have the benefit of the president's
confidence".
Dealers said the market had subsequently calmed but was awaiting further
details of the new central bank appointment and progress in the talks between
Brazil and the International Monetary Fund.
Stanley Fischer, IMF second in charge, was due to meet Pedro Malan, Brazilian
finance minister, in Brasilia on Tuesday to discuss the release of $9bn in
further emergency loans. His presence at the talks has helped to soothe
volatile markets amid hopes that the Brazilian financial crisis has passed its
most critical point.
The IMF and Brazilian government are expected to set down new budget deficit
and interest rate targets on Wednesday ahead of the release of further funds
under an agreed $41.5bn loan package.
The Financial Times, Feb. 3, 1999
The Religion Business
Walk on Water: Only 10 Shekels
It's a miracle
TOURISTS will be able to follow in the footsteps of Jesus this autumn and walk
on the water.
Up to 300 at a time will step gingerly over a 240ft-long platform two inches
below the surface of the Sea of Galilee near Kfar Nahum, where the miracle
allegedly took place nearly 2,000 years ago. Lifeguards will be on hand to
help those who do not quite make it.
Plans for the platform have been approved by the Israeli authorities, who are
expecting about four million visitors and pilgrims for the new millennium
celebrations. The platform is the brainchild of Ron Major, an Israeli lawyer,
who said it came to him while driving alone one night. Yesterday he said: "I
was ashamed to share it with other people at first, for fear they would think
that I was a lunatic."
He was at pains to stress that the project was designed to appeal to Christian
pilgrims, not to make money. He said: "It will help people feel what He felt
when he walked on the water. We are not trying to recreate the divine miracle,
which we respect. This is not Disney World. If there is a charge, it will be
about 10 shekels [£1.50], just to cover maintenance."
Ze'ev Margalit, of the Israeli National Parks Authority, said: "We could not
believe it at first, but we have assurances that it will not be kitsch. The
promoter has done research with Christians and most find it attractive."
One Christian who does not is Israel's leading New Testament historian, Fr
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, a Dominican friar. He said: "This is bloody
ridiculous. It is an absurd theme park gimmick. I suppose some idiots would
want to get themselves photographed walking on the water, but what kind of
pilgrim would play this silly game?"
However, Fr Jerome conceded that the attraction of walking on the water might
be strong enough to tempt even the most religious. He said: "When I was a
young man, in 1964, I could not resist the temptation to walk on the Sea of
Galilee . . . But that was on water skis."
The London Telegraph, Feb. 3, 1999
-----
Aloha, He'Ping,
Om, Shalom, Salaam.
Em Hotep, Peace Be,
Omnia Bona Bonis,
All My Relations.
Adieu, Adios, Aloha.
Amen.
Roads End
Kris
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