- - - - - - - - - - - -

Also Today

For a full list of today's Salon News stories, go to the News home page.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Probably no Republican was more enraged by this failure than Kenneth Starr. In his new book, "Shadow," Bob Woodward offers a few glimpses inside Starr's office and what one sees is not only the pervert-run-amok we all know and love, but just a generally weird guy. Starr is shown having immense "respect" for lofty institutions and statutes and protocols, but recklessly unconcerned with the tiny human scale of this scandal.

Clinton's flaw is exactly the opposite. After the grueling four-hour grand jury inquisition in which he painstakingly explained how his penis came to be touched by this girl's mouth and then laid out his miserable argument that this technically did not constitute sexual relations by the Jones' definition, Woodward reports: "Clinton shook Starr's hand and put his other hand on Starr's shoulder." That kind of physical contact is much more revolting than anything Monica Lewinsky ever did.

But it is Starr who has the Freudian need to separate the man from the office (which he tried to literally enact, I suppose). "My mother taught me never to hate anyone," he says, à la "Forest Gump." "You can hate what they do, but don't hate the person."

I hear that sentiment a lot these days. I have no idea what it means.

The day Starr's men first argue to subpoena Clinton, Woodward reports: "Starr agreed that there was no question they had the law on their side, but he was still reluctant. He seemed determined about Clinton but squeamish about the presidency." In fact, Starr so often relies upon this curious distinction, Woodward puts it in his index:

Starr, Kenneth Winston presidency respected by, 286, 252, 400, 436

Next page | "I believe we can remove the reference to genitalia"