Presidents, who are constantly reminded of their power and prestigious rank, become exasperated because they cannot control the news media, even though they can to a large degree set the news agenda. Media has expanded in its presence, becoming widespread on the Internet, perhaps monopolizing the domain, by becoming more powerful and more used than written, televised or radio journalism. The Presidents' inability to control the press exposes their vulnerabil

And today in 1998, we have a full-blown "modern scandal" of our own. But a fundamental change separates modern-day presidential scandals from those in the past: publicity. Except for Cleveland's paternity case and recent allegations against Bill Clinton, presidential love scandals have "always come out after the fact," says James W. Davis, author of "The American Presidency." "Tongue-wagging" was kept to a minimum in the pre-Watergate era, he says. "The press in those days honored the privacy of the White House. It was a different era." American attitudes toward presidential scandal may have arrived at yet another level in the late 1990s. "Perhaps we've reached a point where Americans really do compartmentalize to separate the president's public actions from his personal life", says Larry Berman, a political science professor at the University of California, Davis. "Today the voters realize they have a human being in the White House who has the same shortcomings and foibles that we all have," Davis adds. "It's like Melrose Place all the time."

Now, the moral / sexual issue is by far the most appealing, ratings-wise. Surely, more people are interested in the sordid details of what went on between Clinton and Lewinsky during the throes of passion than what may have transpired in their later conversations. Thus one can understand why media coverage of the Lewinsky affair begins, proceeds, and ends almost totally over questions over the sexual allegations.

The Internet media shares the same issues that the written or televised presses have: censorship and morality. It does not seem logical for the media to feel they have the right to publish the President's personal letters, such as the ones from Kathleen Willey:

Eventually the couple wed and public opinion swung again, this time wildly in favor of President Wilson's new wife and marriage. When a stroke left Wilson partly paralyzed in 1919, Edith took over many of his routine duties as part of her self-described "stewardship" of the presidency. She died on Dec. 28, 1961, the 105th anniversary of Wilson's birth.

Given this, we can see why the press might be annoyed with Clinton, for this "literal truth" game has been played consistently from the Press Briefing Room for six years. From Flowers to Whitewater, "Zippergate" to the campaign contribution scandal, the press has been, at worst, told the literal truth only; at best, they have been used.

1. Visuals. Television will win this one, hands-down, until streaming technology improves.

Pack journalism and media frenzies aren't new phenomenons, but the Internet has changed the character of the pact. Eleanor Randolph and Jane Hall of the Los Angeles Times make some interesting points about this in their article: "Media Coverage Turns Into a Full Press."

Clinton's explanation shows his adeptness with literal truth. Apparently, the reason he denied an eleven-year affair with Flowers was that the affair wasn't eleven years old. Now, it would seem to you or me that this avoids the substantive issue of the question; generally, a question regarding the existence of an eleven-year affair is dealing with the existence of the affair, not the timespan. Clinton stays literally truthful, but avoids the real question ... such is the "literal truth" game.

1. Speed. News delivered when it happens-not when the paper is printed. And it doesn't have to be videotaped, edited and aired-just posted to a server.

More currently, there was the John F. Kennedy scandal, his presidency which extended from 1961-1963 was peppered with his reputation of being a womanizer. The list had many famous names like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Angie Dickinson, stripper Blaze Starr and Judith Campbell Exner, lover of reputed Mafia boss Sam Giancana. "They are only a few of the better-known paramours with whom JFK has been linked," University of Virginia government professor Larry Sabato writes in his book "Feeding Frenzy," "not to mention a heal

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