The Notebook: First Beaus

The Scoop: Gates and Klein Meet Face to Face

(TIME, May 18) -- Time was running out. Microsoft had announced plans to release Windows 98 to manufacturers this week. The Department of Justice wanted to file an antitrust suit before that happened. As the hours evaporated, Microsoft chairman BILL GATES asked for a final session in which to plead his case for allowing Windows 98 to be marketed without any Federal Government objections. And so on Tuesday evening, at the headquarters of Microsoft's Washington lobbyists, Gates met JOEL KLEIN, the department's top antitrust enforcer. Gates did most of the talking; Klein had instructed his aides to "let him have his say." Gates argued that Microsoft's contributions to computer technology justified Windows 98's release, despite DOJ's claims that it violated not just a 1995 court agreement but also the basic principles of antitrust policy. Klein held his ground, amazed at Gates' lack of sophistication in realizing to what extent DOJ's action might go beyond Windows 98. The two-hour session produced a stalemate. Gates, said insiders, was "intelligent, forceful and, above all, passionate," but regulators were deaf to his entreaties. As an insider put it, "Windows 98 is part--but only part--of DOJ's concern. It is only a chapter in a much bigger book." All this was a prelude to what may be a monumental showdown this week, as DOJ moves not only to block Windows 98 but also to end what critics have long thought to be Microsoft's predatory and monopolistic practices; as many as a dozen state attorneys general may follow suit. After months of sparring, the real fight is about to begin.

--By Bruce van Voorst/Washington

Still Miserables After All These Years

Primary Colors was supposed to be the Bill Clinton movie a clef of 1998, but the recently released Bille August film of Victor Hugo's 1862 epic Les Miserables, with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush, may better parallel the President's saga.

1862

Police inspector Javert suspects the mayor, Jean Valjean, is really a thief who broke parole many years before.

Javert lacks adequate proof to convict Valjean but declares, "If I force a trial, the evidence will be found."

Valjean's situation becomes complicated by his involvement with Fantine, a girl with a sexual history.

Searching for evidence, Javert calls for Valjean's business records and seeks information on Fantine's correspondence.

Years later, still pursued, Valjean instructs his daughter to tell Javert nothing about her past.

Javert tells Valjean he will never stop pursuing him.

1998

Independent counsel Starr suspects the President, Bill Clinton, was really hip deep in fraud many years before.

Starr lacks adequate proof to convict Clinton, but thinks if he forces a trial on Webb Hubbell, the evidence will be found.

Clinton's situation becomes complicated by his involvement with Monica Lewinsky, a girl who may have made sexual history.

Searching for evidence, Starr calls for Hillary Clinton's billing records and seeks information on Monica's e-mail.

In January, Clinton was accused of instructing Monica to tell Starr nothing about their past.

Starr continues an investigation that has lasted more than four years.

Honky-Tonk Statesman

The Senate, Congress's upper house, one of the world's great deliberative bodies, last week saw an exchange that reflected its illustrious heritage. The issue: possibly anticompetitive practices of Microsoft Corp. Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, home of Microsoft's competitor Novell, spoke first:

The media campaign surrounding the public release of Windows 95 was accompanied by a theme song. As I recall, it was the Rolling Stones' hit song Start Me Up. For...consumers, beholden to Microsoft for software products, I wonder whether the theme song for Windows 98 shouldn't be another Rolling Stones hit--Under My Thumb.

Senator Slade Gorton of Washington, home of Microsoft, responded later in the day:

When I hear Senator Hatch defending...lawyers of the Justice Department, I figure he has been listening to Sympathy for the Devil a little too much lately. There is another Rolling Stones song that describes what Microsoft does for its customers--a little hit called Satisfaction ... [To everyone] who wants to stand between Microsoft and its customers, all I can say is, fellas, You Can't Always Get What You Want.

Verbatim

"I'll make this statement: he was in the protocol, and it's a great drug."
ELIZABETH DOLE, commenting on hubby Bob's public revelation that he participated in the trials of the new anti-impotence drug, Viagra

Matthew, Chapter 1

Whenever there are First Daughters, there are First Boyfriends. Now that Matthew Pierce is Chelsea Clinton's official steady, let's see how he stacks up against First Beau sans peer George Hamilton, who dated Lynda Bird Johnson.

Cover Date: May 18, 1998

• The Third Way Wonkfest
• Keeping It Secret
• Can't Buy Their Love
• How The California G.O.P. Got A Spanish Lesson
• Will Voters Unplug Labor's Money Machine?
• Giving Peace a Chance
• The Notebook: First Beaus
• The Trouble with Transcripts