Salon Newsreal | Diamond in the Ruff

A L S O+T O D A Y

We interrupt this impeachment ...
By Joshua Micah Marshall
Two years in a row, Clinton's State of the Union address proves he won't follow the Presidential Tragedy script

Dear Henry
Historians talk back to House impeachment managers
Reactions to the president's speech
Experts discuss Clinton's performance and what effects his proposals would have on the actual problems he identified as priorities

What might have been
By Joan Walsh
It's hard to watch this president perform so well, knowing that he has already undermined his -- and our -- hopes for any real legislative success

The State of the Union
Prepared text of President Clinton's State of the Union address

T A B L E+T A L K
Ignore the talking heads! Discuss your thoughts on Clinton's State of the Union address in the Politics area of Table Talk
___________________
Visit barnesandnoble.com for politics books on both sides of the aisle
___________________

Portrait of a political "pit bull"
By Russ Baker
Rep. Dan Burton, who called President Clinton a "scumbag," has a few questions to answer about his own behavior
(12/22/98)

R E C E N T L Y
Clinton's Star Wars sequel
By Christopher Hitchens
The president pays off the military by funding a notorious boondoggle
(01/19/99)
Impeachment diary III
By Anonymous
In the absence of real action, Senate insiders give the House Boyz low grades, rue the end of bipartisan cooperation and spread a whole lotta rumors about Trent Lott
(01/15/99)
American gerontocracy
By Christopher Shea
Is the mental capacity of the aged leaders judging President Clinton a fit subject for commentary?
(01/15/99)
Counting the dead children
By Jeff Stein
Critics blast U.S. sanctions that kill Iraqi babies, but leave Saddam fat and happy
(01/15/99)
Cracks in the bipartisan façade
By Joshua Micah Marshall
As House Republicans tried to depict their impeachment vendetta as a brave civil rights struggle, the important action was all taking place off-camera
(01/15/99)
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-----Diamond in the Ruff
THE PRESIDENT'S LAWYER, A LONE FIGURE IN HIS WHEELCHAIR IN THE WELL OF THE SENATE, COULD NOT HAVE BEEN A MORE EFFECTIVE DEFENDER.

BY HARRY JAFFE | WASHINGTON -- From the gallery of the Senate Tuesday, it was clear that the White House is absolutely masterful when it comes to theatrical direction. Chuck Ruff was the perfect antidote to the yapping GOP jackals. Here is this lone man in a wheelchair, a solitary figure in the center of the well, facing the club of 100 demi-judges. Ruff was quiet, reasoned, insistent and believable. When Ruff said the president was not guilty of perjury or obstruction of justice, he didn't raise his voice or repeat himself. This was not oratory; it was a friend talking to you across the fence.
Perhaps it's because he appears to be so innocuous in his physical presence that Ruff can put the knife into the Republicans without coming off as mean and vindictive. How can a man slumped in a wheelchair be mean-spirited? Compare this to the platoon of Republicans who pranced and prattled in the Senate well for three days. For example, Lindsey Graham was folksy in his attempt to demolish Clinton, but it was a forced folksiness, the charm of a practiced politician. Ruff managed to come off as neither a lawyer nor a politician.
Consider the genius of putting Ruff in front of the cameras and the senators and leaving David Kendall, the president's thin-lipped personal counsel, sitting off-camera. Kendall comes off as a professional legal hit man. From a legal standpoint, it might have been better to pair Ruff and Kendall, or Ruff and Gregory Craig. But for pure theater, give the people what they want -- a serious, solitary individual working against the odds. America loves an underdog.
Again, the Republicans seem to have played into Clinton's hand. They asked Clinton to postpone the State of the Union address, seeing as he was in the dock and hardly fit to govern. But Americans seem to want the president to keep doing his job, running around the country, talking about better schools and saving Social Security, with less crime and more jobs. How dumb are these Republicans, anyway? First, it wasn't their call. It's Clinton's decision. Second, Bill loves to speechify, especially about policy, particularly when he can talk at Congress and the nation all at once. The State of the Union is his very favorite speech, for God's sake. How could he not see the delicious irony in giving a speech in which he would talk about all the good things he and Congress are going to do for the American people, knowing that the very Republicans who voted to impeach him will no doubt have to get up on their feet and applaud him? Or -- risk looking even more out of step with the country's wishes than already may be the case.
Another great thing about the State of the Union speech: It can be all talk and no action. The president can list all the good things he's done for the past year, all the more wonderful things he's going to do in the coming year, and he doesn't have to deliver on any of them. Check all the promises he made in last year's speech against the actual accomplishments in the form of laws passed or programs funded. Close to zero, I believe.
It's possible Ruff and Clinton's other lawyers have set a trap of their own on the issue of impeachment-trial witnesses. They've been crying, "Oh, no witnesses. Pleeease, no witnesses." Then when it seems to be forced down their throats, they start talking about bringing up Ken Starr and Linda Tripp. Did somebody mention Mr. Scaife?" I'll go out on a limb and suggest that it could be the Republicans who turn tail on witnesses.
You've got to chalk up this day as a pretty good one for the slickster from Hope.
SALON | Jan. 20, 1999
Harry Jaffe is an editor at the Washingtonian magazine.

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A L S O+T O D A Y We interrupt this impeachment ... By Joshua Micah Marshall Two years in a row, Clinton's State of the Union address proves he won't follow the Presidential Tragedy script Dear Henry Historians talk back to House impeachment managers Reactions to the president's speech Experts discuss Clinton's performance and what effects his proposals would have on the actual problems he identified as priorities What might have been By Joan Walsh It's hard to watch this president perform so well, knowing that he has already undermined his -- and our -- hopes for any real legislative success The State of the Union Prepared text of President Clinton's State of the Union address T A B L E+T A L K Ignore the talking heads! Discuss your thoughts on Clinton's State of the Union address in the Politics area of Table Talk ___________________ Visit barnesandnoble.com for politics books on both sides of the aisle ___________________ Portrait of a political "pit bull" By Russ Baker Rep. Dan Burton, who called President Clinton a "scumbag," has a few questions to answer about his own behavior (12/22/98) R E C E N T L Y Clinton's Star Wars sequel By Christopher Hitchens The president pays off the military by funding a notorious boondoggle (01/19/99) Impeachment diary III By Anonymous In the absence of real action, Senate insiders give the House Boyz low grades, rue the end of bipartisan cooperation and spread a whole lotta rumors about Trent Lott (01/15/99) American gerontocracy By Christopher Shea Is the mental capacity of the aged leaders judging President Clinton a fit subject for commentary? (01/15/99) Counting the dead children By Jeff Stein Critics blast U.S. sanctions that kill Iraqi babies, but leave Saddam fat and happy (01/15/99) Cracks in the bipartisan façade By Joshua Micah Marshall As House Republicans tried to depict their impeachment vendetta as a brave civil rights struggle, the important action was all taking place off-camera (01/15/99) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		-----Diamond in the Ruff THE PRESIDENT'S LAWYER, A LONE FIGURE IN HIS WHEELCHAIR IN THE WELL OF THE SENATE, COULD NOT HAVE BEEN A MORE EFFECTIVE DEFENDER. BY HARRY JAFFE \| WASHINGTON -- From the gallery of the Senate Tuesday, it was clear that the White House is absolutely masterful when it comes to theatrical direction. Chuck Ruff was the perfect antidote to the yapping GOP jackals. Here is this lone man in a wheelchair, a solitary figure in the center of the well, facing the club of 100 demi-judges. Ruff was quiet, reasoned, insistent and believable. When Ruff said the president was not guilty of perjury or obstruction of justice, he didn't raise his voice or repeat himself. This was not oratory; it was a friend talking to you across the fence. Perhaps it's because he appears to be so innocuous in his physical presence that Ruff can put the knife into the Republicans without coming off as mean and vindictive. How can a man slumped in a wheelchair be mean-spirited? Compare this to the platoon of Republicans who pranced and prattled in the Senate well for three days. For example, Lindsey Graham was folksy in his attempt to demolish Clinton, but it was a forced folksiness, the charm of a practiced politician. Ruff managed to come off as neither a lawyer nor a politician. Consider the genius of putting Ruff in front of the cameras and the senators and leaving David Kendall, the president's thin-lipped personal counsel, sitting off-camera. Kendall comes off as a professional legal hit man. From a legal standpoint, it might have been better to pair Ruff and Kendall, or Ruff and Gregory Craig. But for pure theater, give the people what they want -- a serious, solitary individual working against the odds. America loves an underdog. Again, the Republicans seem to have played into Clinton's hand. They asked Clinton to postpone the State of the Union address, seeing as he was in the dock and hardly fit to govern. But Americans seem to want the president to keep doing his job, running around the country, talking about better schools and saving Social Security, with less crime and more jobs. How dumb are these Republicans, anyway? First, it wasn't their call. It's Clinton's decision. Second, Bill loves to speechify, especially about policy, particularly when he can talk at Congress and the nation all at once. The State of the Union is his very favorite speech, for God's sake. How could he not see the delicious irony in giving a speech in which he would talk about all the good things he and Congress are going to do for the American people, knowing that the very Republicans who voted to impeach him will no doubt have to get up on their feet and applaud him? Or -- risk looking even more out of step with the country's wishes than already may be the case. Another great thing about the State of the Union speech: It can be all talk and no action. The president can list all the good things he's done for the past year, all the more wonderful things he's going to do in the coming year, and he doesn't have to deliver on any of them. Check all the promises he made in last year's speech against the actual accomplishments in the form of laws passed or programs funded. Close to zero, I believe. It's possible Ruff and Clinton's other lawyers have set a trap of their own on the issue of impeachment-trial witnesses. They've been crying, "Oh, no witnesses. Pleeease, no witnesses." Then when it seems to be forced down their throats, they start talking about bringing up Ken Starr and Linda Tripp. Did somebody mention Mr. Scaife?" I'll go out on a limb and suggest that it could be the Republicans who turn tail on witnesses. You've got to chalk up this day as a pretty good one for the slickster from Hope. SALON \| Jan. 20, 1999 Harry Jaffe is an editor at the Washingtonian magazine. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Become a Salon member. Click here.