The paradox isn't so surprising, when you think about it: the broader the range of sex-related activities deemed immoral, unnatural, or icky, the greater the scope for righteous indignation; the freer the press, the looser the libel laws; and the more reflexive the general contempt for politicians as a class the greater the chance of public exposure of private misbehavior.
Last week, Ari Fleischer conveyed the Bush team's general contempt for the media's interest in the Niger "documents" and, more generally, for the fact that, three months after the fall of Baghdad, Saddam Hussein's arsenal so far appears more chimerical than chemical.
Fay Stender was apparently exempt from Jackson's general contempt for women.
But the more general trend is resignation.
It filed a more general "white paper".
Cost, timing, lack of trains and general contempt for fans made for plenty of empty seats at Wembley.
It is of a piece with this President's general contempt for facts and the standard definitions of words.
However, the threat is rather more general.
He called this more general technique "correlation".
