Last week, THE SCRAPBOOK invited the White House to cite an instance in which the president had given a simple yes or no answer to any question -- this, after Clinton badgered conservative scholar Abigail Themstrom at his Akron race-fest to give a yes or no answer about affirmative action. Well, the White House didn't rise to the bait, but Rep. John Boehner of Ohio did. " Dear SCRAPBOOK," Boehner writes. "Considering this White House's difficulty in locating records and files, I asked my staff to lend a hand in this endeavor. I am pleased to announce that they were able to identify a forum in which the president frequently answered questions with a very curt 'yes or no. ' The venue? The president's testimony during the Whitewater trial." Boehner included copious examples. "Q: Did you ever ask David Hale to make you a loan? A: No. Q: Did you ever ask David Hale to make Jim McDougal a loan? A: No."
As Boehner correctly notes, "It would appear the president is perfectly capable of limiting his answers -- at least when any misstep could potentially result in a perjury charge."