Monica Lewinsky’s million-dollar book deal made headlines; Princess Di’s biographer, Andrew Morton, may portray the former White House intern as a privileged “royal,” but don’t overlook the likelihood of aggressive New York literary agent Lucianne Goldberg’s potential book on the “production of a scandal” with a cast of sharply portrayed real-life characters who seem stranger than fiction. At Ms. Goldberg’s urging, Linda Tripp secretly recorded her telephone conversations with the naive intern. If Monica sues Ms. Goldberg and Mrs. Tripp for invasion of privacy, any literary masterpiece from the agent would surely benefit. An unlikely scenario but Ms. Goldberg could figure in a suit for counselling, aiding and abetting Ms. Tripp’s taping.
More of a certainty is the central role awaiting J.C. Watts, star quarterback-turned-lone-black-Republican-Congressman and just elected to a leadership post by his colleagues. All eyes are on this superstar, not just as a mediagenic leader but as a fundraiser as well. A different kind of “quarterback”, the president’s designated crisis-handler, attorney Gregory Craig, is getting attention as well. Not new to rescuing public figures, Mr. Craig quarterbacked Senator Ted Kennedy’s testimony in William Kennedy Smith’s Palm Beach rape trial seven years ago.
Once again First Brother Roger Clinton is capitalizing on the family name. He managed to land a club gig in South Korea during Bill Clinton’s visit to Seoul. Brother Roger, too, has legal problems of a different sort. He’s defending a suit that his Labrador allegedly bit a dog-walker outside the Clinton home in Redondo Beach, California. Roger countersued, claiming the other man’s Rottweiler mauled his dog. Roger was able to get the trial postponed so he could keep the Korea engagement.
California Congresswoman Mary Bono, widow of singer-turned-congressman Sonny, has plans to “out” her late husband’s overuse of prescription painkillers. She claims that Sonny took as many as 15 to 20 drugs which could have clouded his thinking.
In New York, the primary race for retiring New York Senator Pat Moynihan’s seat promises to be exciting. Likely contenders include George magazine editor John Kennedy and pugnacious mayor Rudy Guiliani.