WASHINGTON: The name of the game Friday: Let's Make A Deal. President Clinton has
upped his settlement offer to Paula Jones, from $500,000 to $700,000. Congressional Democrats have put on the table their offer for an
impeachment inquiry plan -- closure within a matter of weeks and the scope limited to the Lewinsky affair. And even Monica herself is getting an offer she may not be able to refuse:
$1 million from Roseanne to make her first public appearance on the comedienne's new daytime talk show. "Yeah, I'll pay for her," Roseanne told CNN after negotiations broke down between Lewinsky and Oprah Winfrey over the question of cash. "Fortunately for me, I have no integrity."
Unfortunately for Paula Jones, integrity is something Bill Clinton still thinks he has. While the President's lawyers are moving closer to the $1 million figure Jones is seeking, Clinton has balked at the idea that such a payout would imply wrongdoing back in that Arkansas hotel room. For that reason, negotiations are currently stalled. Over on Capitol Hill, the GOP seems equally unlikely to accept the Democrats' plan; after all, it serves the Republicans' core constituency to keep the Clinton impeachment process as long and wide as possible. Right now, it seems Roseanne's offer is the only one with any real hope of success.
