Old man yelling at clouds stuff, now, but one reason I chafe every time people talk about journalists "making mistakes" with Trump is that I lived through the Starr era, and I can't recall a single one ever saying, "ya, maybe we got that a bit wrong." Ones who were critical were shoved out of the club.
Our top journalists don't make mistakes. Ask them.
This was the objective journalist portrayal of Starr, the Last Honorable Man (Except for Joe Lieberman) in Washington.
In Truth at Any Cost, two of America's preeminent investigative reporters, Susan Schmidt and Michael Weisskopf, reveal for the first time what really went on inside the Office of the Independent Counsel. The book details Ken Starr's motivations, his inner struggles, and his anguish as he comes under attack by Clinton's ferocious partisans. It goes behind the locked doors of Starr's office as prosecutors make the fateful decision to pursue the case against Clinton for lying to conceal his embarrassing affair with an intern half his age. Schmidt and Weisskopf lay bare what happened on the night when FBI agents first confronted Monica Lewinsky, how the White House launched a political jihad to survive, and how Starr's team agonized over Clinton's fate.Ah, yes, Starr was CANCELLED in PURSUIT OF TRUTH.
For four years, the bland, smiling man behind the investigation of President Clinton remained a mystery, both to many who supported him and to those who feared him. Until now. Truth at Any Cost shows Ken Starr in a new light: as an upright but politically naive prosecutor who withstood public vilification to pursue the truth--including what he and his deputies saw as the president's attempts to use the power of his office to thwart a legitimate inquiry. Here is an unblinking look at the battle between Starr's legal absolutism and Clinton's chronic evasions. It examines Starr's impassioned quest to bring the president to justice, and explains how Starr eventually became a casualty of his own mission, leaving the arena as bloodied as the man he had pursued.
Practically the only pushback then were a few internet weirdos and like 3 journalists who didn't do their careers any favors.
We used to call Steno Sue Schmidt and Mike Weisskopf (linked above), "Scheisskopf," back in the day. We did try to amuse ourselves.
I did this tweet and had many responses along the lines of, "just like now!!!"
and yes:hard to explain the Starr era to The Kids, but one aspect was every top political journalist just printing up whatever nonsense his team sent their way. Made a bunch of careers, not a regret expressed
— Atrios (@Atrios) September 13, 2022
