It seemed almost as if McCurry wished to encourage this line of inquiry. The White House calculation, apparently, is that nobody cares too much about encounters long ago. The impact in post-puritan America would be nil. But not everybody has fallen for this diversionary tactic. In a biting editorial last week the Wall Street Journal asked whether Clinton was covering up a history of drug use.
Drugs are a much more serious matter.
If the American people were ever led to believe that Clinton was a heavy user of cocaine while Governor of Arkansas, the scandal would be thermonuclear. Stories about past drug use by Bill Clinton are a staple of Right-wing radio talk programmes. This is not because drug use is too much of a tabloid issue. Far from it. The mainstream media were quick to print the uncorroborated allegations of a convicted felon who claimed to have sold marijuana to a young Dan Quayle.