Clinton's Angels; Wag the Dog

During November 1997, local radio and television stations in Washington, D.C. ran a commercial that said, in part, "if you believe you have been a victim of sexual harassment by the President, we want to help. Call this toll-free number now: 1-888-HARASS-U." As reported in the April, 1998 issue of Harper's, during the first month of operation over 4,000 people called. Now, I think we can all agree that three or four of those callers were probably lying. Still, few would disagree with the charge that President William Jefferson Clinton has a zipper problem."Rush-released" to capitalize on the media frenzy over the Monica Lewinsky story, MPI Home Video's Clinton's Angels (clever title, eh?) does not look at all the president's women, so to speak, but focuses on the best known trio: Jennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, and Lewinsky. Drawing on the Kama Sutra (!) for political aphorisms ("a king cannot behave in any blameworthy way"), the program can't seem to make up its mind whether it's about "news" or "satire"--a charge, of course, which might be equally leveled at the Clinton administration itself. Shots of the Washington Monument--used purely for phallic purposes--and annoying out-of-context sound bite edits (i.e., the exact same clip of Clinton saying "I did not do that" inserted after a number of different questions) make this "video news presentation" play more like a bad Letterman routine than a look at hard facts. Worse, there is nothing here--and I mean nothing--that ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, NPR and Primary Colors hasn't already told you. In fact, we know a heck of a lot more (the considerable attention giving to the "upcoming" first Paula Jones trial is, needless to say, a little anticlimactic, since we already know it was tossed and is--at least as of this scribbling--going to appeal). Still, even though the program's level of political commentary is closer to the National Enquirer's than The Nation's, let's not forget that the video is cheap (and inexpensive) and is sure to be popular. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P.Ironically, Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog--a fictional Hollywood effort--is more newsworthy and satirical than the fact-filled Clinton's Angels for the simple reason that the film tells a coherent story rather than bombarding us with out-of-context press conference clips. Robert De Niro stars as Conrad Brean, a professional spin doctor who's faced with an interesting dilemma: With less than two weeks to go before re-election day, the President is about to be denounced for groping a minor in the White House. No half-stepper, Brean decides to launch a fictional made-for-television war against Albania and enlists the aid of a Hollywood producer (Oscar-nominated Dustin Hoffman) to create the film clips, sound bites and, of course, saleable tie-ins. Some of the moments arising out of this diversionary sleight-of-hand are truly comical (I especially liked Woody Harrelson playing a disastrously poor choice for a war hero) and, naturally, people have made much of the coincidences between diversions which surfaced during Le Affaire Monique (remember the renewed huffing and puffing about Iraq?) and the script co-written by playwright David Mamet. Still, so much reality in the news tends to put the muzzle on Wag the Dog's satiric bite: We should be outraged, but I, at least, felt like I was watching one tame puppy, an only slightly enhanced textbook example of how to bury a political bone. Optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)