Flynt Calls Barr a Perjurer

WASHINGTON: The Flynting of Bill Clinton's enemies continues. This time it's GOP firebrand Bob Barr, whom the Hustler porn king accuses not only of infidelity but of agreeing to, and paying for, his ex-wife's abortion -- and then lying about it under oath. Sound familiar? It's getting to be. In the past six months Henry Hyde, Dan Burton, and Bob Livingston -- all Republicans, all after Clinton's head -- have been tarred by the same brush of marital indiscretion, and whether or not the White House had some sinister hand in the outings, the revelations are turning the GOP into the party of adulterers. "In the court of public opinion," says TIME Washington correspondent Jay Branegan, "this can't help but reinforce the argument that impeaching Clinton is hypocritical."

Flynt hasn't bagged himself a Livingston here. "Barr won't resign," says Branegan, "and this won't affect Barr in his role as a House manager." But Branegan notes how quickly the story was picked up by the mainstream news outlets despite Barr's denials. Larry Flynt is now a legitimate source of news stories, it seems, but the success of his million-dollar-bounty campaign for tales of Beltway unzipping (two down, 10 more promised) has already eaten into the revelations' shock value. "Around here, it's already ho-hum," says Branegan. Still, it's lucky for adamant pro-lifer Barr that abortion is still legal -- an offense like that might have been impeachable.