Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 7, 1993 TAG: 9309020329
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
If it sounded rather silly then, it sounds even sillier now that Newsday has reported the results of its investigation into the ``Hairgate scandal.''
You know those planes that were kept circling over LAX while the president sat in Air Force One enjoying the privileges of high office? Well, they weren't. And those commuter flights that sat cooling their wings because two runways were closed while Clinton prissed and pampered himself? Turns out they didn't.
Federal Aviation Administration records examined by Newsday show no significant flight delays while the president was getting his high-priced haircut from Hollywood stylist Christophe. No commuter planes were circling overhead. There were no traffic jams on runways. Air traffic controllers were kept busier than they would have been, but no travelers were inconvenienced.
Oops. Seems all the hysteria was generated by a Reuters story that quoted an unnamed FAA spokesman as saying two commuter flights were delayed, for 25 and 17 minutes. Without clear confirmation of the information, journalists stampeded in an embarrassing display of pack reporting. Not a glorious moment for practitioners of a difficult trade.
Just how difficult is illustrated by the ``Travelgate'' story that broke around the same time. (Every political miniscandal, to attain legitimacy, must be tagged with ``gate,'' it seems. Oh that Watergate, if it had to occur, had taken place somewhere else.)
Media outrage at the firings of seven employees of the White House travel office was fueled by reporters who had dealt frequently with these staffers and were grateful for past assistance, which made the apparent indignation somewhat suspect. But, it turns out, not misplaced.
In its own review of the matter, the White House has acknowledged just how badly it bungled the affair. While the administration had raised valid questions about how the office was being run - a review had cited problems of overbilling, bad accounting ( $18,000 could not be accounted for) and a lack of competitive bidding - it erred seriously in the manner it went about addressing those concerns.
To summarily dismiss the entire staff, without appeal, was arbitrary. To dismiss them all when only two had anything to do with handling money was unfair - at least in the context of the reasons the administration offered to justify the shakeup. To dismiss them and then issue a statement from the FBI that there was a possibility of criminal behavior was an abuse of power.
The administration's misdeeds went further. It acted improperly in calling in the FBI without going through Justice Department channels. The nation has had enough political misuse of this investigative agency. And White House concerns for sound management sounded more like hypocrisy when the supposedly ``cleaned-out'' office was given to one of the president's distant relatives to run - a relative who had long been pressing to win that little plum for a Little Rock travel agency that had helped out the Clinton campaign.
Then the administration sadly had to admit that ``Friend of Bill'' Harry Thomason, who has an interest in an airline-leasing company, had complained that the old staff wouldn't consider business from his associates. Concerns about competitive bidding started to sound a lot more like concerns about political cronies.
This should put an end to both episodes, provided President Clinton and his team have learned to anticipate how even seemingly minor matters can take on great significance under the micro-inspection all presidents must learn to live with.
The travel-office firings were mishandled, and the administration has admitted it. As for the clip job in LA, it turns out nobody was hurt except the president's wallet.
by CNB