Salon Newsreal | The anatomy of a virtual conspiracy

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Friends and members of much-maligned "trailer trash" lash out at media stereotypes in the Social Issues area of Table Talk

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Pages 690-732 of "Ulysses": "Unmitigated filth and obscenity"

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A country amok
By Jonathan Broder
Indonesia is past the point of peaceful change
(05/15/98)
"A weapon so powerful, it will destroy the world"
By Sarita Sarvate
The nation of Buddha, the Veddas and Mahatma Gandhi wants to be a nuclear gian
(05/15/98)
Indian roulette
By Jonathan Broder
The world's largest democracy goes nuclear, and gambles that it can survive the sanctions coming down on its head
(05/14/98)
A Starr cannot be extinguished
By David Everett
Salon uncovers a letter written by the independent counsel detailing the progress of his investigation into 93-year-old Hillary Clinton
(05/13/98)
Gloves off
By Jonathan Broder
The fight over the Middle East peace process could get ugly
(05/12/98)
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THE ANATOMY OF A VIRTUAL CONSPIRACY | PAGE 2 OF 2
Because it encourages freelance attacks on the flimsiest of pretexts, a virtual conspiracy can misfire and produce some measure of sympathy for the president -- and polls suggest it is doing just that. However, the piling on of unsavory allegations inevitably exacts a toll, adding to public skepticism about Clinton and laying the groundwork for some future revelation that could suddenly puncture his cushion of popularity.
How do virtual conspirators go after a president they can't defeat at the polls? They turn, naturally, to the two great corrupters of humankind: money and sex.
For urban or suburban politicians, the typical lure is unmarked cash or overseas bank accounts from building contractors who need help with zoning permits or bids to pave highways. Their rural counterparts get caught up in land deals, playing silent partner and leveraging a minuscule investment into a windfall when the shopping center, subdivision or resort goes up.
The temptations of the flesh require no elaboration. You can read about them in the Bible or browse them on the Internet. King David was neither the first national leader nor the last to make a move on the wrong woman.
What of Clinton, erstwhile governor of Arkansas and current president of the United States? Whether you love him or hate him, there's no gainsaying the man's political prowess. Among contemporary politicians, there's Clinton -- and there's everybody else. Since his entrance onto the national stage, the virtual conspiracy has launched at least four major efforts to undo him, using tactics that have succeeded against other politicians.
Gambit No. 1: Extramarital sex
In times past, a prominent politician who had a sexual affair was finished. The swift rise of Gary Hart to front-runner status for the Democratic nomination in 1988 and even swifter decline after an extramarital affair was revealed was the most recent case in point when Clinton began his run for the White House.
Enter Gennifer Flowers on the eve of the 1992 New Hampshire primary, with claims of a long-standing affair and audiotapes of someone who sounded mighty like the man from Hope. Instead of folding under pressure, Bill and Hillary Clinton faced the cameras together. One year later, they were picking fabric for the family quarters in the White House.
Gambit No. 2: Corrupt land deal
When extramarital sex didn't sell, the virtual conspirators turned to money. It says something about their desperation that they focused not on a windfall that enriched Clinton but on a money-loser called Whitewater. Four years and $40 million later, an independent counsel has yet to come up with something damning against Clinton -- and not for lack of trying.
Gambit No. 3: Sexual harassment
The provenance of the Paula Jones case, recently thrown out of federal district court in Little Rock, fits perfectly with the concept of a virtual conspiracy. Clinton had gone to Washington and Paula Jones had gotten on with her life when a writer for a right-wing magazine digging into Clinton's past came up with allegations of a spurned advance against someone identified only as Paula.
At the time the article came out, stories of Clinton's amatory adventures down home were as plentiful as tabloid sightings of Elvis. The hard core of Clinton haters in Arkansas regularly regaled visiting scribes with such tales, some of which squirmed their way into print. In short, the contention that someone named Paula, Polly, Patsy or Peggy might have had a fling with Bill was not exactly a thunderbolt. Thereupon, Paula Jones stepped forward and identified herself as that Paula, avowedly to clear her heretofore unsullied, unknown last name. She did so with the very public assistance of a miniphalanx of right-wing lawyers and, later, the support of a well-funded foundation. The virtual conspiracy was now starting to look more and more like the real thing.
Trotted out in advance of the 1996 election, the Jones gambit tottered but did not quite fall. When the Supreme Court ruled that a sitting president could be compelled to testify in a civil suit, the conspirators suddenly found the ideal vehicle for their next venture.
Gambit No. 4: Turning sex into perjury
News accounts indicate that attorneys for Jones took a deposition from the president in which they interrogated him about alleged extramarital affairs. Would a recent affair between consenting adults be relevant to determining what might have happened in a Little Rock hotel room seven years before? Obviously not. But the court's ruling made it open season on Clinton.
It proved a perfect trap. Think about it: What choice does a husband have when questioned about cheating? If he admits an affair, he risks his wife's divorcing him. If he denies it, he gains another chance to change his ways and save his marriage. Admirable, no -- but altogether human and understandable.
Most such confrontations occur in private between husbands and wives and are resolved by them, one way or another. Some may get divorced, but none will have family, friends and associates hauled before a grand jury by a prosecutor bent on nailing the individual on charges of perjury or worse. Yet, that is precisely the situation that now mesmerizes the independent counsel, the press, a grand jury and countless millions of us mere voyeurs.
The interrogators had listened to hours of tape-recorded conversations between an anxious young woman and an older confidante motivated by something other than friendship when she clicked the on switch. The lawyers set the strategy, rehearsed their tactics, then launched their attack.
The virtual conspiracy demonstrated it had learned from its mistakes in Gambits No. 1, 2 and 3. The tapes alone would have been useless -- an obvious lesson from Gambit No. 1. But those tapes in the hands of Jones' lawyers and the independent counsel allowed the conspirators to execute Gambit No. 4 in concert and move closer to their ultimate goal: undoing our two most recent presidential elections.
The motivation of the virtual conspirators is transparent: By their deeds, we have come to know them. For some time now, they have been delving into matters financial and sexual, probing for points of vulnerability. In communicating those intentions so openly, they attracted comrades with something to offer: money, attorneys, tape recordings.
Only one mystery remains: Knowing exactly where he might be vulnerable, why did a politician as smart and wily as Clinton allow himself to be outmaneuvered?
SALON | May 18, 1998
Peter J. Ognibene is a Washington writer.
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R E L A T E D_.S A L O N_.S T O R I E S
Hillary was right There is a right-wing conspiracy to bring down the president
By Andrew Ross
March 19, 1998
Murderers, cannibals -- lesbians! America has a distinguished history of spreading scandalous rumors about its politicians, and the latest batch of White House gossip is nothing new
By Jenn Shreve
May 1, 1998
The Clinton Crisis A full list of Salon's coverage
Jan. 21 to May 8, 1998

T A B L E+T A L K Friends and members of much-maligned "trailer trash" lash out at media stereotypes in the Social Issues area of Table Talk D A I L Y+Q U O T E Pages 690-732 of "Ulysses": "Unmitigated filth and obscenity" R E C E N T L Y A country amok By Jonathan Broder Indonesia is past the point of peaceful change (05/15/98) "A weapon so powerful, it will destroy the world" By Sarita Sarvate The nation of Buddha, the Veddas and Mahatma Gandhi wants to be a nuclear gian (05/15/98) Indian roulette By Jonathan Broder The world's largest democracy goes nuclear, and gambles that it can survive the sanctions coming down on its head (05/14/98) A Starr cannot be extinguished By David Everett Salon uncovers a letter written by the independent counsel detailing the progress of his investigation into 93-year-old Hillary Clinton (05/13/98) Gloves off By Jonathan Broder The fight over the Middle East peace process could get ugly (05/12/98) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		THE ANATOMY OF A VIRTUAL CONSPIRACY \| PAGE 2 OF 2 Because it encourages freelance attacks on the flimsiest of pretexts, a virtual conspiracy can misfire and produce some measure of sympathy for the president -- and polls suggest it is doing just that. However, the piling on of unsavory allegations inevitably exacts a toll, adding to public skepticism about Clinton and laying the groundwork for some future revelation that could suddenly puncture his cushion of popularity. How do virtual conspirators go after a president they can't defeat at the polls? They turn, naturally, to the two great corrupters of humankind: money and sex. For urban or suburban politicians, the typical lure is unmarked cash or overseas bank accounts from building contractors who need help with zoning permits or bids to pave highways. Their rural counterparts get caught up in land deals, playing silent partner and leveraging a minuscule investment into a windfall when the shopping center, subdivision or resort goes up. The temptations of the flesh require no elaboration. You can read about them in the Bible or browse them on the Internet. King David was neither the first national leader nor the last to make a move on the wrong woman. What of Clinton, erstwhile governor of Arkansas and current president of the United States? Whether you love him or hate him, there's no gainsaying the man's political prowess. Among contemporary politicians, there's Clinton -- and there's everybody else. Since his entrance onto the national stage, the virtual conspiracy has launched at least four major efforts to undo him, using tactics that have succeeded against other politicians. Gambit No. 1: Extramarital sex In times past, a prominent politician who had a sexual affair was finished. The swift rise of Gary Hart to front-runner status for the Democratic nomination in 1988 and even swifter decline after an extramarital affair was revealed was the most recent case in point when Clinton began his run for the White House. Enter Gennifer Flowers on the eve of the 1992 New Hampshire primary, with claims of a long-standing affair and audiotapes of someone who sounded mighty like the man from Hope. Instead of folding under pressure, Bill and Hillary Clinton faced the cameras together. One year later, they were picking fabric for the family quarters in the White House. Gambit No. 2: Corrupt land deal When extramarital sex didn't sell, the virtual conspirators turned to money. It says something about their desperation that they focused not on a windfall that enriched Clinton but on a money-loser called Whitewater. Four years and $40 million later, an independent counsel has yet to come up with something damning against Clinton -- and not for lack of trying. Gambit No. 3: Sexual harassment The provenance of the Paula Jones case, recently thrown out of federal district court in Little Rock, fits perfectly with the concept of a virtual conspiracy. Clinton had gone to Washington and Paula Jones had gotten on with her life when a writer for a right-wing magazine digging into Clinton's past came up with allegations of a spurned advance against someone identified only as Paula. At the time the article came out, stories of Clinton's amatory adventures down home were as plentiful as tabloid sightings of Elvis. The hard core of Clinton haters in Arkansas regularly regaled visiting scribes with such tales, some of which squirmed their way into print. In short, the contention that someone named Paula, Polly, Patsy or Peggy might have had a fling with Bill was not exactly a thunderbolt. Thereupon, Paula Jones stepped forward and identified herself as that Paula, avowedly to clear her heretofore unsullied, unknown last name. She did so with the very public assistance of a miniphalanx of right-wing lawyers and, later, the support of a well-funded foundation. The virtual conspiracy was now starting to look more and more like the real thing. Trotted out in advance of the 1996 election, the Jones gambit tottered but did not quite fall. When the Supreme Court ruled that a sitting president could be compelled to testify in a civil suit, the conspirators suddenly found the ideal vehicle for their next venture. Gambit No. 4: Turning sex into perjury News accounts indicate that attorneys for Jones took a deposition from the president in which they interrogated him about alleged extramarital affairs. Would a recent affair between consenting adults be relevant to determining what might have happened in a Little Rock hotel room seven years before? Obviously not. But the court's ruling made it open season on Clinton. It proved a perfect trap. Think about it: What choice does a husband have when questioned about cheating? If he admits an affair, he risks his wife's divorcing him. If he denies it, he gains another chance to change his ways and save his marriage. Admirable, no -- but altogether human and understandable. Most such confrontations occur in private between husbands and wives and are resolved by them, one way or another. Some may get divorced, but none will have family, friends and associates hauled before a grand jury by a prosecutor bent on nailing the individual on charges of perjury or worse. Yet, that is precisely the situation that now mesmerizes the independent counsel, the press, a grand jury and countless millions of us mere voyeurs. The interrogators had listened to hours of tape-recorded conversations between an anxious young woman and an older confidante motivated by something other than friendship when she clicked the on switch. The lawyers set the strategy, rehearsed their tactics, then launched their attack. The virtual conspiracy demonstrated it had learned from its mistakes in Gambits No. 1, 2 and 3. The tapes alone would have been useless -- an obvious lesson from Gambit No. 1. But those tapes in the hands of Jones' lawyers and the independent counsel allowed the conspirators to execute Gambit No. 4 in concert and move closer to their ultimate goal: undoing our two most recent presidential elections. The motivation of the virtual conspirators is transparent: By their deeds, we have come to know them. For some time now, they have been delving into matters financial and sexual, probing for points of vulnerability. In communicating those intentions so openly, they attracted comrades with something to offer: money, attorneys, tape recordings. Only one mystery remains: Knowing exactly where he might be vulnerable, why did a politician as smart and wily as Clinton allow himself to be outmaneuvered? SALON \| May 18, 1998 Peter J. Ognibene is a Washington writer. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - R E L A T E D_.S A L O N_.S T O R I E S Hillary was right There is a right-wing conspiracy to bring down the president By Andrew Ross March 19, 1998 Murderers, cannibals -- lesbians! America has a distinguished history of spreading scandalous rumors about its politicians, and the latest batch of White House gossip is nothing new By Jenn Shreve May 1, 1998 The Clinton Crisis A full list of Salon's coverage Jan. 21 to May 8, 1998