With former President George Bush displaying courage (or insanity depending on how you look at things) by parachuting out of a plane at 30,000 feet, give or take a few skyscrapers, the Clinton administration also tried its hand at bravery last week.
The Justice Department flexed its muscles, beat its chest, and hit Dem Martins of Florida with a plea-bargained $5,000 fine for listening in-via cell phone-on House Speaker Gingrich and the boys. Florida cell phones: they’re just not for emergencies anymore.
“The Martins were charged with the most serious violation possible based on the applicable federal law and the circumstances surrounding the interception of the telephone call,” said Charles R. Wilson, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida. “Americans should know that intentionally intercepting other peoples’ calls is illegal.”
In a further show of pugilistic prowess, President Clinton reportedly talked tough about trade in a private letter preceding Japan’s Ryutaro Hashimoto’s visit late last week. It is worth noting that Japan’s economic woes and its embarrassment over the bold Peruvian hostage rescue make Hashimoto, shall we say, vulnerable at the moment.
So in the spirit of kicking a man when he’s down, the big, hobbled bruiser from Hope, Ark., let Hashimoto have it in the letter Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin is said to have delivered on a Tokyo trip in early April.
So far, no such pointed missives from the White House have been detected en route to Chinese President Jiang Zemin or Premier Li Peng.
In the meantime, Washington Post investigative reporter Bob Woodward, citing U.S. officials, revealed Friday that “the FBI has obtained substantial evidence that `top’ Chinese officials approved plans in 1995 to attempt to buy influence with American politicians, and that the scheme continued through the 1996 elections and is ongoing.”
Indeed, the prospect for trade-including billions of dollars in wireless-with China are frankly greater than with Japan, though Motorola Inc. did hit the jackpot with a cellular contract in Japan recently.
So it should come as no surprise that Attorney General Janet Reno chooses to run down the Martins rather than the Lippos. Reno insists she’s doing just that with a professional law enforcement task force, as GOP calls for an independent counsel are rejected.
All I can say is, if you’re sipping java with the Bill, Al Gang, channeling with Hillary and the village people at 1600 Penn or just crashing in the Lincoln Bedroom for a night, rest easy; you’re safe and secure. But just try eavesdropping on a pol one time, and find out how tough a New Democrat can be.
