The Broader Picture: Genesis of a party headache

FOR BILL CLINTON especially, it seemed a self-inflicted version of hell: a 12-month odyssey punctuated by allegations of adultery and accusations of draft evasion, in which few days were shorter than 18 hours and no area of his private life off-limits - an ordeal enough to destroy anyone who does not belong to that extraordinarily resilient human sub-species formed by candidates for the presidency of the United States. But as every winner learns, even the roughest campaign is no preparation for the real thing.

These photos from election year 1992 are a visual epitaph to an age of innocence. Four months into his term, President Clinton is in dire trouble. His all-important economic plan last month barely survived a mutiny by his own Democrats in the House of Representatives. The Bosnian crisis exposed the frailty of his decision-making. To strengthen a White House staff known around Washington as 'the children', he has been obliged to appoint Mr David Gergen, a veteran from past Republican adminstrations, as his counsellor. And then there have been the gaffes; first and foremost being The Haircut.

The price of the home-state trim photographed here is unknown: given Little Rock, Arkansas, prices however, it can have been hardly a tenth of the dollars 200 usually charged by Christophe of Hollywood. Hubris, too, can be a consequence of lost innocence.

There was already a touch of it in the closing stages of the campaign; a certain arrogance settled upon Bill Clinton when victory at last seemed likely. You've thrown your hardest shots, was the unspoken message, I've taken them; see if you can stop me now. They could not. But the media took revenge by granting him the shortest presidential honeymoon on record. His approval rating stands at barely 40 per cent.

Rough handling by Washington's punditry is only one reason for his fall from grace. Clinton and his youthful entourage seem not to have understood that the campaign ended seven months ago. Late-night pizza and take-away tacos are their still favoured eating habits. All too often they give the impression that performance is measured less by results than long hours. As for the boss himself, he never looks happier than on one of those trips outside the Oval Office to take his message directly to the people.

And there's no hard proof, but it's a fair bet that in every episode in these photos the candidate was running at least an hour late. Washington and the rigid schedules of office have brought only a slight improvement to Bill Clinton's time-keeping. Another instance of hubris? Perhaps not. But certainly another sign that, in spirit at least, Campaign 1992 lives on beyond its day.

These pictures come from the exhibition of World Press Photos at the Royal National Theatre on the South Bank, SE1, 9-30 June; catalogue from Thames & Hudson, pounds 8.95.

(Photograph omitted)