How low can they go?

Here at The Outrage we’re all for lambasting the powers-that-be, whether they be Democrat, Republican or some other brand of rogue. But we like to fool ourselves into believing that our barbed javelins are hurled with some flair. We try to aim for the jugular, sometimes the heart, occasionally the brain. We hope we avoid going below the belt.

The mainstream American press however, seems to be engaged in a perpetual journey south, seeking an ever-lower common denominator. And we have to ask, how low is TOO low?

Here at the DO we’re no great fans of current monarch Clinton or his administration. His reign has been riddled with corruption and deceit, although that doesn’t really distinguish it from any other administration of recent years.

Clinton’s policies are often foolish and nonsensical, but we’re old enough to remember worse — the Trickster’s wage and price controls come to mind, among many other debacles of the Nixon administration. And of course, for sheer lack of character, it would be hard to top JFK or his follower, LBJ.

But policy aside, is there a limit to the sort of personal attacks that should be published?

We have to admit that even the sick minds here at the DO were disgusted by the Washington Times decision to report Paula Jones latest demands for a detailed “examination” of President Clinton. Jones asserts that the president has certain physical “irregularities.” Jones thinks her knowledge of these abnormalities supports her sexual harassment case against Clinton.

We won’t go into the details here, but the Washington Times did. We wrote that off, because the Times seems to be on a perpetual dirt-digging campaign against Clinton. It may be a well-founded campaign, and many of their charges may be true. But is it necessary to reprint every allegation that is made against a man, no matter how irrelevant to policy it may be?

The New York Daily News joined in the fray and also printed details of the allegations. Whether you despise Clinton or admire him, this sort of media coverage can only be called outrageous. The allegations have nothing at all to do with politics, and they can only contribute to the downward spiral of public discourse.

Most politicians, Bill Clinton included, deserve as much criticism as they receive. Let’s sharpen our swords and our satire and use these instruments fiercely. But honorable warriors aim for the head, not the crotch.

(Source: New York Daily News).

Quote of the Day!

I…will die for the freedom of the press, even for the freedom of newspapers that call me everything that is a good deal less than…a gentleman.

— Dwight D. Eisenhower, August 14, 1945

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