HERE IS a sampling of what newspapers and cartoonists around the globe are saying about Bill Clinton after his grand jury testimony and televised speech Monday night:
The Age, Melbourne, Australia:
The so-called Bill and Monica show has given comfort not only to Mr. Clinton's enemies at home but to those abroad who are only too willing to see it as confirmation of the wickedness at the heart of the world's most successful nation. More than that, it has absorbed far too much of the energy of the President and his advisers when there are a great number of trouble-spots around the world demanding the attention of the only remaining superpower.
The Daily Yomiuri, Japan:
Clinton, who became the first U.S. president to testify on his behalf in a grand jury criminal investigation, has disgraced both himself and his country. ...
As leader of the world's only superpower, the president of the United States is expected to deal with international problems ranging from economic instability in Russia to peace talks in the Middle East.
The international community will be paying close attention to see whether Clinton will be able to put the matter behind him and return to the role that is expected of him.
Philippine Daily Inquirer,
Manila:
Starr and Clinton's political foes will, of course, invoke the rule of law to justify their obsession with embarrassing Clinton and perhaps stripping him of his high office. But while some people may marvel at the persistence of the American prosecutors and the lengths they would go to prove that no one is above the law, what sticks out from this sorry enterprise is the hypocrisy of its many leaders.
As French actress Catherine Deneuve observed earlier in this sorry episode, all the pornography in the world comes out of the United States, but the president is being held to a ridiculously high standard of morality. Some people who protest feebly or even wink at their own children's promiscuity are now claiming to be scandalized by their president's sexual dalliance.
The Hindu, Banglore, India:
In the two years remaining of his second Presidential term, Mr. Clinton can no more expect to enjoy the trust of his people or that of the world. . . . By his obfuscation and months of denial of the truth, Mr. Clinton has betrayed the trust that his people had reposed in him, not once but twice.
A willing suspension of disbelief against such circumstantial evidence has been poorly rewarded. The patience of the Americans must be wearing thin, though a booming economy that takes care of their daily life will blunt a campaign for his resignation.
The Daily Telegraph, London:
Anyone who wishes America well must feel uneasy. People sense that the Monica Lewinsky affair is not a unique aberration in a career of probity. It feels more like the tip of an iceberg. It is highly unlikely that Kenneth Starr's investigation will come up with this and nothing else. Bill Clinton has been weaving a tangled web, and he is not about to escape. He may survive, but he cannot recover.
The Mirror, London:
Mr. Clinton tries to excuse his behaviour by saying that even the president is allowed to have a private life. So he is.
But that cannot include having sex on the job and then lying about it. For neither of those are private activities for a president of the United States. . . . Last night, his wife Hillary said she would stand by him, even though he had lied to her. But just because she forgives him does not excuse him, either. The most powerful man in the world has confessed to being a womaniser and, far worse, has been exposed as a liar.
This is not Watergate. That involved a president criminally subverting the political system.
But Zippergate is morally wrong and weakens Mr. Clinton when he needs to give leadership.
In America and around the world, his authority cannot be the same. Not when everyone now knows how be jumped at the chance of getting involved with Monica Lewinsky. This is a sad and shaming time for the presidency.
Trinidad Guardian,
Port-of-Spain:
In insisting that his relationship with Lewinsky is a private matter between himself, his wife and his daughter and his God, Clinton may well consider himself particularly unfortunate since several of his predecessors in the White House, including Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Kennedy, have "enjoyed" illicit sexual relationships without becoming the victims of public scandal.
Fortunately for them, the American press was at that time far more conservative and felt it best to leave the private affairs of the nation's heroes alone.
Jordan Times, Amman
It will be recalled that when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that [Paula] Jones could sue Clinton for actions she alleged he committed against her while he was Governor of Arkansas, they did so because they believed that such a case would not place undo strain on the president's ability to carry out his responsibilities. It is now clear that the Supreme Court was in error.
The president has been crippled by the fallout from the Jones case. . . . The president has been embarrassed, the nation has been humiliated and shocked and the work of the nation has suffered. Through this entire ordeal, not only President Clinton has been weakened and distracted.
The Starr investigation has established some dangerous precedents, that, if not corrected by Congress, may have a lasting impact on future presidents.
Irish Independent, Dublin:
Napoleon III remarked: "It is the absence of women that enables men to tackle important daily questions." In the case of the 42nd President of the United States, he probably had a point.
Montreal Gazette, Canada:
"Now it is time -- in fact, it is past time -- to move on . . ."
Wouldn't that be nice? Most people have had it up to the eyeballs with earnest news anchors solemnly discussing whether or not oral sex constitutes sexual relations under American law.
It would be nice, too, to think that the leader of the free world had time to turn his attention to some of the more pressing international troubles. Like the bomb blast that threatens to shatter hopes for peace in Northern Ireland. The devalued Russian ruble . . .
The Globe and Mail,
Toronto, Canada:
It is no wonder so many of the man's closest advisers -- from former top aide George Stephanopoulos to former chief of staff Leon Panetta to chief strategist Dick Morris -- are now pundits who feel free to criticize Mr. Clinton, sometimes even call for his head. It's as if they never knew him. Every time Mr. Clinton abruptly abandons yesterday's fortified position, he hangs out to dry all those who rushed to defend it. Today's associates will one day repay him.
Loyalty is a two-way street, and it doesn't run anywhere near 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Calgary Herald, Canada:
It's up to the American people to decide whether it's worse to have a president who cheats on his marriage vows or one who has traded arms for hostages; one who bombed Cambodia or one who kept a list of "enemies" and encouraged dirty tricks.
Which is worse, a bounder or a cad? Is there really a choice?
The Electric New Paper,
Singapore
By being caught in a lie which dragged on for seven long months, President Clinton has had his credibility torn to shred[s]. It may never be restored.
Unlike the semen stains on Miss Lewinsky's [blue] cocktail dress which can be washed away, the stains on the presidency look here to stay.
Such is the folly of one man -- the most powerful man in the world.
Pub Date: 8/20/98