Salon Newsreal | Let the sexual healing begin

A L S O+T O D A Y
The war at home
By Andrew Lam
While Vietnamese in California battle over Ho Chi Minh's photo, and legacy, a younger generation on both sides of the Pacific manages to live in two worlds

Broaddrick charges are 21 years too late
By Camille Paglia
But Bill's a louse -- and hypocrite Hillary deserves to have a solipsistic Beverly Hills brat tied to her tail for all eternity
(03/03/99)

T A B L E+T A L K

Does anybody take Pat Buchanan's holy war seriously? Discuss the religious right in Table Talk's Politics discussion area

You've seen the interview, now read the rest. MONICA'S STORY - on sale today!

R E C E N T L Y
California Republicans: "Circular firing squad"
By Anthony York
Abortion foes win big as state GOP tries -- and fails -- to regroup after impeachment
(03/02/99)
Russian roulette
By Jeff Stein
Though all of the recent anthrax attacks against abortion clinics have turned out to be hoaxes, emergency crews responding to them have discovered a new problem
(02/26/99)
Justice in Jasper
By Faulkner Fox
In the face of naked evil, a community comes together
(02/26/99)
Dumping scandal: The export of bad blood
By Suzi Parker
One thousand Canadian victims demand answers from Clinton and others about the export of contaminated blood products from U.S. prisons long after they were no longer sold domestically
(02/25/99)
Robertson redux
By Frederick Clarkson
Splits in the religious right will make it hard to recapture the Christian Coalition's glory days
(02/24/99)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Browse the
Newsreal Archives
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Let the sexual healing begin
WITH IMPEACHMENT OVER -- AND JUANITA BROADDRICK MAKING HER SEEM LIKE AN INNOCENT MEMORY -- MONICA GIVES US THE SOAP OPERA WE WANTED ALL ALONG.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BY JAMES PONIEWOZIK
news photo Waiting for tears in a Barbara Walters interview is like waiting for blood in a prizefight. Cry No. 1 in the Monica Lewinsky "20/20" interview came at 9:51 p.m. EST. Cry No. 2 hit at 10:41, with the story of the FBI bust on Jan. 16. And then Babs moved in like Tyson, scoring No. 3 at 10:43 with a round of questions about Monica's family.
Monica's face reddened; her lip quivered. We all knew her history -- the White House freak-outs, the wailing to Linda Tripp -- and for a second it looked like our Mon might go to pieces. Would she lose control? Would her voice crack? Would there be mucus? There would be none of that. Composed and professional in a dark suit with her hair pulled back -- and about a quart of Vaseline on the camera -- Monica (or, at least, the Monica we saw in the final edit, which at times looked like it was spliced from file footage) lived her life in two hours and came out dry, smiling and ready for love.
What we all know about Walters' interviews is that they're about feelings, but that's not quite true. They're about the display of feelings, interspersed with that masterly control -- the tight smile, the quick laugh -- that separates the pros from the civilians. It's not about being fake; it's about being real in tightly controlled doses. Cue up "Sunrise, Sunset": Monica Lewinsky, Person, made the transition Wednesday night to Monica Lewinsky, Persona.
Though we all guessed there wouldn't be any real revelations -- and except for Monica's abortion admission and, maybe, her antidepressants, there weren't -- the build-up this past week was staggering. New York publicists complained they couldn't get anyone to show for Monica-night events; people organized Monica parties; ABC garnered $800,000 for a 30-second commercial spot -- half the rate of the Super Bowl, approaching Academy Awards numbers. (Did anyone else notice a disproportionate number of ads for Snackwell's, the new diet drug wonder Meridia, herbal diet aids and Victoria's Secret breaking up the talk with the zaftig, thong-wearing Lewinsky?) In its breathy promos, ABC showed Walters posing provocative questions and Monica biting her lip but -- teasingly -- never talking, investing her with sphinxlike power as though, were she finally to speak, your television would explode.
The problem is that by now Monica was just about the chattiest sphinx in American history, having surfeited us with the Starr Report, the Tripp tapes and the Senate deposition. The popular comparison of the broadcast was to the big game or Oscar night. But only if the Super Bowl had already been played last August, if the Oscars had already been given out and they were just rerunning the musical numbers. God knows we commentators stopped having anything new to say about Monica months ago, but it's a comfort to us to know that she's pretty much tapped out on the subject too.
What the interview did help clarify were some of those longstanding watercooler questions: the why-did-she, how-could-she questions. For instance, how could Monica not feel like she was being used? Why would she want a relationship with a man who took a congressman's phone call in the middle of their first sexual encounter? As she answered -- in not so many words -- duh.
"There was a level of excitement," she said. "A level of danger involved in the relationship." I mean, damn! Nothing says, "You're having sex with the president" like an intracoital congressional phone call.
And the why-did-he questions? The interview probably gave little material to Clinton biographers, but it was refreshing to hear Monica implicitly answer the question, "Why would he risk it?" -- a childish query repeated by pundits and supporters who, as Mr. Mojo Nixon would put it, have no Elvis in them. "I would imagine it's very difficult being president of the United States," she said. "There's tremendous pressure. Sometimes, you just need a piece of ..."
"Ass!" volunteered 50 million Americans in the home audience.
N E X T+P A G E+| Monica achieves godhood as William Bennett expires from exasperation

- - - - - - - - - -

PHOTOGRAPH: ABC MEDIA

A L S O+T O D A Y The war at home By Andrew Lam While Vietnamese in California battle over Ho Chi Minh's photo, and legacy, a younger generation on both sides of the Pacific manages to live in two worlds Broaddrick charges are 21 years too late By Camille Paglia But Bill's a louse -- and hypocrite Hillary deserves to have a solipsistic Beverly Hills brat tied to her tail for all eternity (03/03/99) T A B L E+T A L K Does anybody take Pat Buchanan's holy war seriously? Discuss the religious right in Table Talk's Politics discussion area You've seen the interview, now read the rest. MONICA'S STORY - on sale today! R E C E N T L Y California Republicans: "Circular firing squad" By Anthony York Abortion foes win big as state GOP tries -- and fails -- to regroup after impeachment (03/02/99) Russian roulette By Jeff Stein Though all of the recent anthrax attacks against abortion clinics have turned out to be hoaxes, emergency crews responding to them have discovered a new problem (02/26/99) Justice in Jasper By Faulkner Fox In the face of naked evil, a community comes together (02/26/99) Dumping scandal: The export of bad blood By Suzi Parker One thousand Canadian victims demand answers from Clinton and others about the export of contaminated blood products from U.S. prisons long after they were no longer sold domestically (02/25/99) Robertson redux By Frederick Clarkson Splits in the religious right will make it hard to recapture the Christian Coalition's glory days (02/24/99) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		Let the sexual healing begin WITH IMPEACHMENT OVER -- AND JUANITA BROADDRICK MAKING HER SEEM LIKE AN INNOCENT MEMORY -- MONICA GIVES US THE SOAP OPERA WE WANTED ALL ALONG. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BY JAMES PONIEWOZIK Waiting for tears in a Barbara Walters interview is like waiting for blood in a prizefight. Cry No. 1 in the Monica Lewinsky "20/20" interview came at 9:51 p.m. EST. Cry No. 2 hit at 10:41, with the story of the FBI bust on Jan. 16. And then Babs moved in like Tyson, scoring No. 3 at 10:43 with a round of questions about Monica's family. Monica's face reddened; her lip quivered. We all knew her history -- the White House freak-outs, the wailing to Linda Tripp -- and for a second it looked like our Mon might go to pieces. Would she lose control? Would her voice crack? Would there be mucus? There would be none of that. Composed and professional in a dark suit with her hair pulled back -- and about a quart of Vaseline on the camera -- Monica (or, at least, the Monica we saw in the final edit, which at times looked like it was spliced from file footage) lived her life in two hours and came out dry, smiling and ready for love. What we all know about Walters' interviews is that they're about feelings, but that's not quite true. They're about the display of feelings, interspersed with that masterly control -- the tight smile, the quick laugh -- that separates the pros from the civilians. It's not about being fake; it's about being real in tightly controlled doses. Cue up "Sunrise, Sunset": Monica Lewinsky, Person, made the transition Wednesday night to Monica Lewinsky, Persona. Though we all guessed there wouldn't be any real revelations -- and except for Monica's abortion admission and, maybe, her antidepressants, there weren't -- the build-up this past week was staggering. New York publicists complained they couldn't get anyone to show for Monica-night events; people organized Monica parties; ABC garnered $800,000 for a 30-second commercial spot -- half the rate of the Super Bowl, approaching Academy Awards numbers. (Did anyone else notice a disproportionate number of ads for Snackwell's, the new diet drug wonder Meridia, herbal diet aids and Victoria's Secret breaking up the talk with the zaftig, thong-wearing Lewinsky?) In its breathy promos, ABC showed Walters posing provocative questions and Monica biting her lip but -- teasingly -- never talking, investing her with sphinxlike power as though, were she finally to speak, your television would explode. The problem is that by now Monica was just about the chattiest sphinx in American history, having surfeited us with the Starr Report, the Tripp tapes and the Senate deposition. The popular comparison of the broadcast was to the big game or Oscar night. But only if the Super Bowl had already been played last August, if the Oscars had already been given out and they were just rerunning the musical numbers. God knows we commentators stopped having anything new to say about Monica months ago, but it's a comfort to us to know that she's pretty much tapped out on the subject too. What the interview did help clarify were some of those longstanding watercooler questions: the why-did-she, how-could-she questions. For instance, how could Monica not feel like she was being used? Why would she want a relationship with a man who took a congressman's phone call in the middle of their first sexual encounter? As she answered -- in not so many words -- duh. "There was a level of excitement," she said. "A level of danger involved in the relationship." I mean, damn! Nothing says, "You're having sex with the president" like an intracoital congressional phone call. And the why-did-he questions? The interview probably gave little material to Clinton biographers, but it was refreshing to hear Monica implicitly answer the question, "Why would he risk it?" -- a childish query repeated by pundits and supporters who, as Mr. Mojo Nixon would put it, have no Elvis in them. "I would imagine it's very difficult being president of the United States," she said. "There's tremendous pressure. Sometimes, you just need a piece of ..." "Ass!" volunteered 50 million Americans in the home audience. N E X T+P A G E+\| Monica achieves godhood as William Bennett expires from exasperation - - - - - - - - - - PHOTOGRAPH: ABC MEDIA