Thirteen months of scandal grind to a conclusion with nothing nice to say. Suddenly, a whole industry of cable gab-show hosts finds itself contemplating dead air. The cameras and microphones, once everywhere in the Capitol, have vanished. What remains is the eerie silence after a bloody battle. Indeed, the landscape is strewn with carnage: A president, leaning on a crutch of public opinion, hobbles toward the end of his term—past two fallen speakers of the House; political institutions torn asunder; and afield, of ruined reputations. From the ashes ofWatergate rose heroes like Sam Ervin and Barbara Jordan. But there are no heroes here, only villains and victims. Friends who turned on friends; political foes joined to save their own skins and wreak partisan havoc. About all that's left to do now is shoot the wounded.
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