Four Year Old Sexual Harrassment

Q: These four women belie the Clintonite argument that perjury is no big deal, especially about sex. They lied under oath about sex in civil cases and were condemned to between four and 13 months in federal detention. Meanwhile, the cognoscenti demand that President Clinton avoid the same punishment for allegedly committing the same crime. The American people insist that their Rogue-in-Chief walk away. And, like a chorus line of Rockettes, America's feminists high-kick in agreement. Where is the justice? Where is the outrage?

A: Rivera suggested that only a supposedly sex-crazed prosecutor like Kenneth Starr would recommend legal action against President Clinton for his alleged dishonesty in the Paula Jones sexual harassment suit and the Monica Lewinsky sex-and-lies scandal. But when Toensing told Rivera about Dr. Barbara Battalino, Geraldo paid up. In a case

with eerie parallels to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Veterans Administration psychiatrist Barbara Battalino was prosecuted for denying that she performed oral sex on Vietnam veteran Edward I. Arthur on June 27, 1991. He was a patient of Battalino's who later sued her for sexual harassment and medical malpractice. Arthur happened to audio-tape some 25 hours of phone conversations with Battalino including one where she scolded him for discussing the time they "played doctor" before their medical relationship had ended. As Battalino said: "the thing was that we were supposed to not have had sex until after...I can't believe you would divulge that."