by Marissa Schoenfeld
I think I am a loving, loyal person. And a passionate person. And an intelligent person. And I'd bet the majority of BYU co-eds could describe themselves in such a fashion. Funny thing is, Monica Lewinsky used these same adjectives to describe herself to celebrity interviewer Barbara Walters last week. But all similarities would have to end there.
In a '20-20' TV special watched by an estimated 70 million people, the infamous former White House intern launched a carefully staged campaign to garner national sympathy. And I have to admit, it almost worked.
Lewinsky even made every effort to come across as a poised, mature woman who made a big mistake and was ready to confess and move on. She answered with careful (and at times, playful) candor as she fielded questions about her sexual (or non-sexual, depending on your definition) affair with the president, her dealings with Linda Tripp, and even an account of how she became pregnant by a Pentagon employee and had an abortion.
But for all of Lewinsky's confessions, she didn't come across as sincerely repentant. Instead, she used her weight problem and feelings of insecurity to justify her behavior. In response to why she has affairs with married men, Lewinsky said, 'It happened because I didn't have enough feelings of self-worth.' Can such psycho-rhetoric be considered as a valid substitute for rebelliousness, indulgence or simple lack of morals? If so, Lewinsky authenticated an excuse for every person who has issues with self concept to fornicate and lie and believe they can get away with it.
By being interviewed, Lewinsky merely confirmed the amoral aura she and the president radiated throughout the ordeal than ended in impeachment, acquittal and collective embarrassment. Notions of right and wrong were superseded by feelings of 'intensity' and 'sensuality.'
But that's not all: The interview, which marked the first time Lewinsky has spoken out publicly since her testimony before the grand jury, also meant millions of dollars of free publicity for the release of her tell-all book, 'Monica's Story,' written by Andrew Morton.
How convenient.
If Lewinsky's goal was to amend a false public image after a year of being misunderstood as 'that woman,' she may have actually plunged herself to the other side of the spectrum Wednesday. A love-sick fool victimized by the independent counsel? Maybe. A true capitalist ready to profit from the biggest political scandal since Watergate? Definitely.
Both Lewinsky and ABC stood to benefit financially from the interview. Lewinsky's sponsors estimate her earnings from book sales and subsequent interviews in the multimillions of dollars range. ABC increased its commercial rates for sponsors more than four times for the anticipated event.
And ABC wasn't about to allow the viewers to be disappointed. Wednesday's broadcast was a finely edited work, not a spontaneous conversation. Walters met with Lewinsky several times for pre-interviews before the taped interview, and she told David Letterman on his show she thought Lewinsky was a lovely girl given an unfair reputation by the media, which clearly indicated Walter's slant. People can reasonably wonder how much of the interview was rehearsed in proportion to how much of it was impromptu.
I'd like to see Lewinsky's book flop. But it will shoot to the top of the best seller list in accordance with Americans' pop culture appetites for gossip and gritty details. So much for a loving, loyal and intelligent populace.