The Art of Presidential Prevarication

"He's just pleased that things are working out for her." --White House spokesman Mike McCurry on the President's reaction to Monica Lewinsky's immunity deal

O.K., just humor me now. Stick with me a second. I want to perform what eggheads call a "thought experiment." Let's suppose that Mike McCurry's statement is not, technically speaking, accurate. Let's suppose that the President was not really, truly pleased that "things are working out" for Monica Lewinsky, especially when "working out" in this instance means that she's apparently about to tell the world that he's a perjurer. Let's suppose, by contrast, that the President was...

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