Monitor: Immersed in pornography

All the News of the World

BILL CLINTON'S GRAND JURY VIDEO

Opinion following the worldwide broadcast of President Bill Clinton's televised testimony to a grand jury investigating whether he had committed perjury in a previous proceeding

Frankfurter Allgemeine

Germany

DOES PRESIDENT Clinton deserve this public humiliation? Does his statement satisfy the desires of the grand jury about his relationship with his former aide? Or does it fulfill a higher purpose? In fact, the publishing of the video interview and a thick volume of back-up evidence is a disaster, an embarrassment never to be outdone in the history of the presidency.

What happened on Monday was an example of personal degradation. But the true instigator of these degrading antics was none other than the person in the middle, Mr Clinton himself.

His actions in his office were undignified and just as the president cannot prevent himself from further destruction, his personal authority and credibility will never come back.

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Sydney Morning Herald

Australia

IT IS as if the whole country has become immersed in a pornographic novel with the sleazy characters and steamy plot set in the White House. It is impossible to simply close the book. The material seeps in everywhere. Primary schoolchildren now make jokes about cigars.

High school teachers are conducting a radically new version of civics lessons with students who no longer think school is boring. And every person over the age of 10 - and many a lot younger - knows that oral sex is not just talk.

This is the White House meets national peep show. It makes Oprah Winfrey- style revelations look old fashioned. Most Americans are already embarrassed for their country. They like to be proud of their President, confident in America's power and prestige. Now they sense that the President - and the US - are becoming an international joke rather than a serious force. They realise that the US is showing the way to the 21st century in a very different way than Mr Clinton ever envisaged when he announced his second term would be the bridge to the millennium.

But still no one can tear themselves away from the story.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette

United States

ONE OF the most disturbing aspects of the controversy swirling around President Bill Clinton is what appears to be a widespread misunderstanding among Americans of why lying under oath is a serious crime. If parties to a legal action cannot be forced to tell the truth, the entire justice system collapses.

This compelling need of the government to get the truth has the potential to conflict with an individual citizen's right to protect himself. The Founders recognised this, and provided for it in the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.

A citizen cannot lie under oath with impunity, but he can refuse to answer questions, and his refusal cannot be considered as evidence of guilt.

Although some of his supporters may not know this, Bill Clinton certainly does.

As chief executive, he is the chief law enforcement officer of the nation. He is a lawyer. He taught in law school. If, as now appears likely, he swore to tell the truth and then violated that oath, not once but numerous times in at least two venues, he committed a serious crime that the nation can ignore only at its peril.

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Corriere della Sera

Italy

THE WHOLE world cannot be sent haywire by the President's behaviour in private, even if it is clumsy, even if it is "inappropriate" as the defendant - obviously suffering from some form of priapism which, they tell me, is a very unpleasant affliction which cannot be relieved either appropriately or inappropriately - has himself admitted. It is quite inadmissible that while the President is addressing the UN, the man on the street is following his contortions, his inarticulacy, and his anatomical hair-splitting worthy only of a green seminarist hauled before the Inquisition. Now Mr Clinton is coming to Italy, the only country which, instead of castigating weaknesses, encourages them. As is shown by the case of the old senator who kept his seat for years thanks to the popularity gained for his reputation as a "groper".

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The Jordan Times

WHAT PRICE will President Clinton pay? Impeachment seems rather harsh, and a censure by Congress pretty meaningless. We suggest something in between: if the US Congress, representing the American people, finds Bill Clinton's behaviour to be unacceptable, it should ask him to take a voluntary leave of absence for two months, giving him time and reason for atonement, redemption and all the other good things that he says he is now deeply engaged in.

THE THIRD WAY

Views on the meaning of the Third Way, the political philosophy outlined by Tony Blair in a Fabian pamphlet

The Daily Telegraph

THE THIRD Way was explained in a Sunday newspaper by the Prime Minister's good friend, the author Robert Harris. He described it as "a whole new kind of politics... potentially even revolutionary". Mr Blair's grand purpose, Mr Harris revealed, was to reconcile all familiar political beliefs, objectives and emotions, however conflicting they might appear, under a system known as "permanent revisionism". This sounds like a pretty terrifying roller- coaster, and already the Prime Minister has started to turn our world upside down. When he has had his way with the constitution, we will not understand the nature of the United Kingdom any more.

We will find that the English "Milord" is no longer someone to be respected for his quarterings or his acreage, but some unelected government placeman. And "low-ranking police officers" will be in line for knighthoods. Instead of "Good morning, officer", we will have to say "Good morning, Sir Kevin. And how is her ladyship today?"

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The Economist

MIGHT THE Third Way foreshadow an eventual move to to create a new centre- left grouping in British politics, combining the mainstreams of the Labour Party and the Lib Dems? Such a thought would infuriate the left of the Labour Party - "Old Labour" in Blairspeak.

But Mr Blair might be quite glad to be shot of them. He may feel that he has more in common with the Lib Dems than the wilder fringes of his own party. But just as the prospect of a long-term relationship with Labour is beckoning, some Lib Dems are hesitating at the altar. They worry that their party is not being true to itself.

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Financial Times

TODAY'S POLITICAL leaders are drawn from the managerial classes. They cannot change the world, they shrug. And yet... they know that without ideas and inspiration, politics cannot conceal its hollowness. Pragmatism must make some connection with principle.

Here we find the explanation for the efforts of Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Romano Prodi and others to add intellectual nourishment to the politics of the centre left.

With cruel irony, the gospel of slim but effective government is being preached at just the moment when we see politics and politicians at their most ineffectual.

The present gale blowing through the global financial system has shown them powerless. Markets, we are learning, are ruthless toward the pretensions of our politicians. Where, I wonder, is the Third Way which leads us out of world recession? (Philip Stephens)

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Daily Mail

WHILE AMERICANS are glued to the marathon video of their President telling that grand jury under oath about his relationship with Miss Lewinsky, our own Prime Minister will today be closeted with him and other international dignitaries for a seminar on The Third Way. For Tony Blair, this concept is about following some misty path between capitalism and socialism. The mind boggles at what precisely the Third Way might mean to Bill Clinton.

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New Statesman

THE THIRD Way lacks a political economy. Mr Blair and his fellow Third Way thinkers talk often of duties and responsibilities. But the only duty required of a public limited company, quoted on the Stock Exchange, is to maximise dividends for its shareholders. How does Mr Blair propose to impose wider duties - to, say, social cohesion or the health of its workers and customers or to its local environment? How does he intend to control the unaccountable power of the supermarkets, the pension funds and the multimedia giants. Old social democracy relied on powerful trade unions and the threat or actuality of nationalisation. Until new social democracy offers some new answers, it deserves a sceptical reception.

THE ARREST OF ANWAR IBRAHIM

Comments on the arrest of the Malaysian deputy prime minister during the Queen's visit to the Commonwealth Games

HONG KONG STANDARD

China

THE ARREST of sacked Malaysian deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, was expected. The wonder is Mahathir allowed matters to get so far. In the end, it needed hundreds of armed policemen to carry out the arrest. That such a show of force was necessary shows how much the Premier has to fear from Mr Anwar's campaign to bring him down. Whether Mahathir himself can stay on as Premier is another question altogether. It depends on whether there is anyone to carry the Anwar torch. Whatever, we must pray that events play out peacefully.

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Sydney Morning Herald

Australia

THE SUMMARY arrest of Anwar Ibrahim is a sign of desperation on the part of the Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir. Far from securing his position, this clumsy act of raw power under the Internal Security Act has increased the likelihood of his own downfall, sooner rather than later. When the time comes for supposedly serious charges to be laid against someone in Anwar's position, the first reaction is to disbelieve them, and suspect a politically motivated smear campaign, thuggishly enforced by outdated security laws. Dr Mahathir might have the upper hand for the moment. But this is a power struggle with a long way to run yet. The forces for change might not be wholly with Anwar. But they are definitely against Dr Mahathir.

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The Economist

IF DR Matahir wants to avoid the fate of his Indonesian counterpart, he should turn his back on his current course of ever-greater autocracy and turn instead to sharing power and preparing the succession. He was once a hero of globalisation. He delivered fantstic economic growth by welcoming foreign investment. Now he wants to seal Malaysia off, insulating the economy through capital controls, blocking foreign TV pictures of unrest, and detaining his fiercest critics. Isolation did not work for Suharto. It will not work for Mahathir.

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Washington Post

United States

ANWAR WAS told that if he resigned without a fuss he would be safe from prosecution. Mahathir may care little for world opinion. But his latest show of contempt for the rule of law may hurt Malaysia not only in the eyes of foreign investors but also among Malaysians who until now respected their premier as a builder of their modern nation.

LESOTHO RIOTS

South African views about their government's intervention to quell rebellion in Lesotho

Cape Argus

IT SURELY required no great feat of military judgment to have realised at the outset that, although the core of the problem might have been a group of mutinous rebels in the Lesotho Defence Force, the situation had become infused by civilian disorder. It is easy to be wise after the event, but all things point to the need for a comprehensive and public inquiry into the planning and execution of this military exercise.

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Daily Dispatch

WE SURELY have no right to cross the border of a country to restore law and order on behalf of a government whose legitimacy is unclear. We messed it up from the beginning. Instead of assisting democracy, we have hampered it. We have created a serious situation, and the problem we face now will be how to extricate ourselves without doing more harm. One thing is for sure: we will do so without honour. Let it end sooner rather than later.

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The Cape Times

THE SOUTH African Government has miscalculated badly. Not since this country invaded Angola have South African soldiers been required to sacrifice their lives on foreign soil.

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The Mail & Guardian

THIS INTERVENTION is likely to swing popular opinion against South Africa. Until now, the Basotho have accepted South Africa's influence and economic support, but have been determined to remain independent so as to keep their monarchy. With fighting still raging around Makoanyane, looting progressing, and Maseru in flames, Buthelezi's recent promise of talks would seem optimistic.

THE QUEEN'S HEAD AND THE EURO

Editorial reactions to the news that the European Central Bank has decided not to permit national symbols on the euro currency

The Sun

THE FACELESS, unelected bankers have goose-stepped over the people of Europe. No monarchs or national symbols will appear on euro notes. There will be no discussion. No argument. No vote. Just get on with it. The European Central Bank has spoken.

It proves beyond dispute what The Sun has warned for years. The single currency is a giant sledge-hammer which will crush national sovereignty and independence to dust. The political fanatics want us all to be the same. One currency. One flag. One state

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Daily Mail

SHOULD WE surrender sterling for the euro, the image of Britain's monarch will be for ever banished from our banknotes. Who says so? No elected body. No, nor any European council of ministers in which our Government participates.

With all the nonchalant hauteur of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland declaring "off with her head", Wim Duisenberg, president of the European Central Bank, has ruled that no emblems of statehood must be allowed to appear on its euro notes.

All key decisions about the notes have become the sovereign responsibility of this bunch of democratically unaccountable bankers. They will not countenance another sovereign's head on their bank notes. In New Europe they are set to become the masters now.

The Express

THE POUND sterling, like the Queen and the Union Flag and the House of Lords, is not just a symbol. It has a solid practical intent. It declares that, wherever the pound is legal tender, the economic interests of Britain will be followed. If those notes are replaced by euros, with or without the Queen's face, then these levers will have passed into the hands of people we have not chosen and cannot control. (Peter Hitchens)

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The Daily Telegraph

THIS REPRESENTS a further, graphic step towards the destruction of our national identity. Tony Blair must be particularly annoyed. Before the election, he wrote lyrically about the importance of keeping the Queen's head on pounds 10 notes - even though he now wants to abolish them when the time is right.

IN MEMORIAM

Comment about the life of Florence Griffith-Joyner

Tampa Tribune

United States

FLO-JO IS done running, but minds race. That's how it goes in these fast times. A star so bright disappears so young. We wince. We cringe. They say it was her heart, but we know it had to be something worse. It had to be. Right? We wait on autopsy results. Until Monday, it seemed as though that would be her legacy: vibrant, young, winning. Now we wait to see if she paid the ultimate price for her success.

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Hong Kong Standard

China

GRIFFITH-JOYNER was tainted with accusations that her performances in Seoul were only achieved on the back of steroid abuse, and she was surrounded by rumours that her striking new muscle definition was chemically induced. Florence Griffith-Joyner did not go gentle into the night.

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Le Monde

France

TO DIE a few weeks before her 39th birthday, when she was, and had been for 10 years, the fastest sprinter of all time was the paradoxical destiny of Florence Griffith-Joyner. Everything went too fast in the life of the woman Americans called "Flo-Jo". So fast that, at that moment when it stopped, one asks oneself if she hadn't risked her life in beginning a lethal chain reaction.

MISCELLANEOUS

Stories from around the world

The Tenerife Times

IN THE wake of growing public concern over the antics of jet-ski joyriders in various Tenerife resorts, police finally decided to take a strong line when they seized eight machines in Las Teresitas beach, Santa Cruz, after numerous complaints from angry bathers. But it wasn't a case of megaphones calling "numbers 1 to 8 to come in, please, your time is up". The riders paid as much attention to the representatives of the forces of law and order as they did to the people whose safety they were endangering.

A Sea Rescue spokesman said that jet-skis are theoretically obliged to stay beyond an invisible boundary, approximately 50 metres from bathing areas, and 200 metres from the actual coast. "But the trouble is," he said, "there are no marine police to enforce that regulation, and the jet-skiers know it, and take advantage of it."

The Baltimore Sun

United States

CATS ARE disappearing from Patterson Park neighbourhoods at an alarming rate, and their owners are blaming pit bull breeders. Residents accuse the breeders of stealing the pets, and using them as live bait to train the dogs as prize fighters.

Two reports of dead cats found in the Southeast Baltimore Park since Thursday have been confirmed. One was reportedly tied to a children's swing, and allowed to be mauled and mutilated by a pit bull to give the dog "a taste of blood," a flier warning about the abductions says.

Robert Anderson, the director of Baltimore's Animal Shelter, confirmed finding the dead cats in the park. "If you have a cat, do not let it out of the house," he said. "It's healthiest for the cat."

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The Swazi Observer

Swaziland

DOCTORS REMAINED puzzled about an epileptic fit patient who was miraculously "healed" after he was prayed for during a revival session of the Back To God Crusade, in Lozitha. Previous diagnosis of the 19-year-old Bongani Dlamini showed that the boy had a brain tumour, which was identified by the use of a MRI X-ray.

Quotes of the Week

"Lord make my words sweet and reasonable. For some day I may have to eat them."

Paddy Ashdown, Leader of the Liberal Democrats

"Close up, my face is starting to resemble an Ordnance Survey map."

George Michael, pop singer

"If I said I was a Blairite no one would believe it, as I have a reputation for not being a Blairite, whatever a Blairite is."

Michael Meacher, Environment Minister

"The euro has all the design faults of the Titanic."

Michael Ancram, Conservative Party

Deputy Chairman

"It's frustrating that we can get lots of sponsorship for otters and red squirrels but none for the narrow- headed ant."

Dr Simon Lyster, Director General of

the Wildlife Trusts