modern notion restricted to the welfarewarfarernstate.rnRaimondo also is mistaken when hernassumes that it is only the American governmentrnbut never “the American people”rnwhich fancies foreign entanglements.rnMost wars that the United Statesrnhas entered enjoyed a high degree ofrnpopular support by the time overt hostilitiesrnbegan. By 1941, most Americansrnwere outraged by the aggressions of NazirnGermany and Imperial Japan, thoughrnless by Soviet tyranny which was less criticallyrndepicted in the national press. Raimondornmay also object to Anglophilia,rnbut it has been a widespread Americanrnsentiment based on language, law, literature,rnbiological ancestry, and religiousrnheritage.rnFinally, it is not at all clear that myrnfear of a crusade on behalf of somernbizarre right is “misplaced.” For decadesrnAmerican Presidents have struck posturesrnas global defenders of civil and humanrnrights. Our leaders keep telling usrnthat what they consider as rights havernuniversal validity and that Americansrnhave a moral duty to uphold them. In recentrnmonths President Clinton has discoveredrna new federal duty to wipe outrnwhite racism and homophobia, and hernhas proposed, beside a renewed dedicationrnto quotas, the use of our schools tornteach sensitive behavior. Why is it inconceivablernthat this fevered crusadernshould lead to global missions to spreadrnspecific “rights”? Just as the Clinton administrationrnclaimed to be enforcing “arnuniversal right to democracy” when it invadedrnHaiti, it or a succeeding administrationrnmight also put pressure on statesrnto recognize the dignity of homosexualrnrelations or a right to feminine self-realization.rnRaimondo’s appeal to the “people”rnagainst their masters has a fine populistrnpedigree but no longer corresponds to reality.rnAs far as I can tell, most people harborrnno significant gripes against “the realrnenemy,” as long as entitlements are deliveredrnand foreign entanglements endedrnquickly, without conscripted armies.rnCULTURAL REVOLUTIONSrnBiLLWATCH became the prime-timernsoap of early 1998, eclipsing even thernPope’s visit to Cuba. Why should werncare this Hme? Anyone with a mentalrnage of 12 already knows that the Presidentrnis an uncontrollable sexual predator.rnIf a single straw could break therncamel’s back of our patience, why notrnthe bale after bale of scandal that hasrnbeen loaded down upon us since Jedrnstruck oil and moved to the hills of Beverleern— or is that another series?rnThe pundits—Sam and Cokie, KevinrnPhillips and Bill Kristol —are all shakingrntheir heads, saying: “This time it is different.rnThis bimbo eruption involves a potentialrnfelony.” Who actually caresrnabout obstrucfion of justice? This is, afterrnall, a nation that believes Vince Fosterrncommitted suicide and Ron Brownrndied in a plane accident, and when thernnewspapers tell us that X rays reveal thatrnthe hole in Mr. Brown’s head was notrnmade by a bullet, we are not at all troubledrnby the mysterious disappearance ofrnthe X rays. If Dan and Tom and Peterrntell us everything is all right, then everythingrnis all right.rnThen what is all the excitement overrnMonica Lewinsky? The leaders of bothrnparties—and their spokesmen in the nationalrnpress—would like us to believernthat no one is offended by the President’srnindiscretions, either in Arkansas or in thernWhite House. After all, these are privaternproblems for Bill and Hillary to work outrnbetween themselves. As the Presidentrnwas being deposed in the Paula Jonesrncase, so-called historians were comparingrnhis lecheries with allegations againstrnGeorge Washington (guilty of writing anrnaffectionate farewell to a lady, usingrnterms of endearment similar to those hernemployed in a letter to her brother) andrnDwight Eisenhower (probably guilty of arnromantic wartime liaison). There is nornevidence against Washington, whilernEisenhower, at the worst, did what manyrnlonely soldiers have done when they arernseparated from their wives. The onlyrnparallels for Clinton are sexual sociopathsrnlike Casanova and Caligula.rnThere is a reason we do not want peoplernlike Casanova in power, and that isrnbecause they always turn into Caligula.rnA man who cannot keep his trousersrnzipped will not keep his hands out of thernnation’s till, and if he cannot go throughrna day (as Jack Kennedy boasted) withoutrnhaving sex with a strange woman, there isrnprobably no law he will not break, norntaboo he will not violate. The most viciousrnand incompetent tyrants are veryrnoften sexual predators —that much wernknow from reading Aristotle or studyingrnthe lives of Roman emperors and Europeanrnkings like Henry VIII. But the reversernis also true: a sexual predator, oncernhe has power, will use it to gratify all hisrnappetites.rnWe cannot demand perfection fromrnour leaders, and each nation sets its ownrnstandards. When at the funeral of PresidentrnMitterrand, both the widow and thernmistress made an appearance, thernFrench were charmed. But will wernsmile at Bill Clinton’s funeral, when anrnendless parade of bimbos, sluts, and harlotsrncome to pay tribute to “the bigrncreep”?rn—Thomas FleminprnR E G A R D I N G Saddam Hussein,rn”What in the world is wrong with him?”rnsomeone asked me the other day.rn”Doesn’t he realize the bad impressionrnhe is making with all his twists and turns?rnOne day he lets the weapons inspectorsrnin and gives them unlimited access, thernnext day he comes up with some lamernexcuse for excluding American ‘spies.'”rnPerhaps he does have something tornhide, but there is a simpler explanation:rnsatellite TV. Imagine Saddam in hisrnliving room, tuned to CNN or CBS. Afterrnwatching the lead stories for a fewrnminutes, he turns to one of his aides andrnsays, “What’s the deal? Those crooks inrnIndonesia are getting all the airplay. CallrnTed Turner. Call Roone Arledge.rnCALL MY AGENT!”rnCelebrity is not only intoxicating: it isrnaddictive. It is fashionable to complainrnabout those dreadful paparazzi, but askrnany starlet, athlete, or politician how hernor she feels when there are no camerasrnaround: frightened and lonely. Vampiresrnand other undead creatures cannotrnsee themselves in the mirror, and celebritiesrncease to exist the minute they are offrncamera.rnSaddam is smart to worry about his ratings.rnAll the big people in America do.rnMARCH 1998/5rnrnrn