An Inclusive Litany

5/8/94

Newsweek Senior Editor Joe Klein on "Face the Nation," commenting on sexual harassment allegations made against President Bill Clinton, May 8, 1994:
Are we in an era of government by Geraldo? Have we created an atmosphere where no one with any interesting aspects of their past is going to want to get involved in politics? Are we going to look back on this time 100 years from now the way we look back on Salem? ... We're going to wind up with government by goody-goodies, government by people who have done nothing in their life except walk the straight and narrow, who have no creative thoughts. We're going to look back on this 100 years from now and say we drove some of our best people out of politics. In the 20th century, having an interesting sexual history is a leading indicator of success in the presidency.

[Ed.: A couple of years later, Mr. Klein became notorious for his role as author of the anonymously penned novel Primary Colors, a thinly veiled burlesque of the Clinton campaign's various foibles. Could it be that Mr. Klein has changed his mind?]