Washington City Paper: Contents for Oct. 29

The Politics of Suicide
Does Washington really kill people? Or, as in the case of Vincent Foster, does Washington just want the credit?

Cover Story

The president of the United States was caught by surprise. That day should have been a normal one in his young administration, busy with the work of reform. Instead, the news arrived that an old associate and appointee had killed himself in suburban Washington. The president issued a statement, in which he said he was “shocked and grieved” by the suicide.

Along with the mourning, however, came recriminations. In the days following the suicide, public figures quickly blamed the political atmosphere for the victim's death. The media were held responsible, even to the point that a few specific journalists were said to have “killed” the president's man. The murder weapons were a series of poison-pen commentaries that impugned his character and motivation. The coverage was too brutal, according to many observers who scolded the offending media. Old standards of fairness and objectivity had been abandoned in the new and ravenous media-saturated age.

The dead man was buried with great ceremony, while those around the coffin sought to explain his self-destruction. A perfectionist with a successful career outside Washington, the dead man was said to have been unprepared for the media spotlight and the cruelty of the political infighting: The stress of high office, the gravity of political setbacks, and a negative campaign by an ideological media were what drove him to death, or so people said. Washington had broken him.... Continued

Issue of Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 1993

News and Features

The Politics of Suicide
Does Washington really kill people? Or, as in the case of Vincent Foster, does Washington just want the credit?
Cover Story By Patrick Symmes
Swing Shift
The National Zoo's Orangutans Prepare to Brachiate New Ground
The City By Alan Green
Who Do You Hate?
The Readers Speak Out
The City
On Your Guard
The Case for Calling in the Troops
The City By Michael Dolan
Calling St. Thomas Iguanas
The Mail By John Rochford
Gun Control Shootout
The Mail By John Swepston
Blame It on Rio
The Mail By Dorothy A. Brizill
No Chance to Choose
The Mail By Rosann Wisman
California Dreaming
The Mail By Mark Massengill and Jason Hafemeister
Lesson in the Last Word
The Mail By Jim McGrath
Engineering Debate
The Mail By Col. DeWitt C. Howell
Evil U.
The Mail By Virginia Mead
Reverse Demagogy
The Mail By Grace Bateman
NIMBY-Pamby
The Mail By Lenore S. Maruyama
Road Warrior
The Mail By Glen T. Urquhart
Faked Out
The Mail By Jennifer Blomstrom
Goddamn Gonzo
The Mail By Melanie LaRosa
Who's the Boss?
The Mail By Jean Gordon