1962

Your class secretary finds it tough, sometimes, to be a reporter and pundit. Recently, though, I had an especially tough experience when I re-read something that I wrote in August that appeared in the November column. We were reflecting then about President Clinton's vacation on Martha's Vineyard, shortly after his videotaped appearance before the grand jury. Your secretary intoned, "By now, though, perhaps all of this sordid business that pervaded our lives in August has somewhat receded from our attention." What an upset to my self esteem as pundit and soothsayer.

I slept fitfully that night and in my dreams called on different classmates for help. Bill Whaley picked up the phone, back from a little 26-mile run, crunching on granola.

"That you, Bill?" I asked. "Yep, what's up, Richard?" "Well, I wanted to congratulate you on your appointment to the Georgia Board of Corrections. You already are so busy with a variety of medical duties. I don't see how you manage to do so many things. And, say, what do you think about the President? "I'm glad you asked," Bill replied, "I've been thinking about him, and I figure that he should get more fiber in his diet. If he could cut down on the fries and do more jogging, I expect he'd be just fine."

"Right," I mumbled to myself as I rang off, and connected with Alan Dynner. Alan has considerable experience as a Washington attorney and not long ago relocated to Boston. In college many of us had pegged him for a slot on the Supreme Court. "It's an interesting matter of jurisprudence," Alan explained. "Jurisprudence and equipoise. One has to separate the torts from the tarts. The briefs from the boxers. In Boston we officers of the court have been arguing the salubrious rather than the salacious. The Republic will be saved." I felt better, although not enlightened. It seemed that these classmates from the East Coast are a bit over my head. Perhaps I should dial up middle America.

I called Illinois and connected with the Rev. Tom Grey, who took time out from his important work to talk with me about the morality of the situation. "I view the problem as one of compulsive gambling. People find that it can be a very tough habit to break and it may go back many years. Some experts think that it started with the riverboar gambling that the President did on the Whitewater. But I rather think that it goes back further-back to the days of the draft lottery. We've been crusading hard against gambling in America, you know." I thanked Tom for his input.

Tom KomareK was next. With his many years of government service, retiring as assistant secretary of labor, it seemed that he would be in the know. "Richard, you have to understand that over many years of work in Washington I've learned that you can't go on the record about things like this. But I'm glad you called. Don't forget the London, England, and Ireland trip coming up in Ju1y...."

The next morning Joan said, "Honey, you seemed to be tossing and turning last night. What were you dreaming about?" "I dunno. It all seems blurry. But, somehow, I think that everything will all turn out all right."

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In the Clinton case.One has to separateI the tortsfrom the tarts." ALAN DYNNER '62