Caitlin Hall

It is by now well known to anyone following the Enron scandal that the president lied on more than one occasion about his involvement with the company's chairman, Kenneth Lay. What is not known, and what has been the cause of much speculation, is exactly why he lied, given that no evidence of actual impropriety has surfaced. Since I know you're all dying to hear it, here's my theory as to what exactly is going on.

Let me begin by elaborating a bit on the situation that has mystified analysts. At various points in the past few weeks, President George W. Bush has claimed several things about his administration's connection with the mortally wounded energy giant that simply aren't true. He said he didn't meet Lay until 1994, when their friendship actually extends back until at least 1992. He claimed that Lay supported his opponent in his gubernatorial bid, when in fact Lay personally gave him $200,000 to help fund his campaign. And perhaps most surprising is a statement that came not from the president but from his spokesperson, Ari Fleischer: "I'm not aware of anybody in the White House who discussed Enron's financial situation."

Despite these bizarre statements, it seems likely from the evidence on hand that neither the president nor anyone on his staff was involved in any illicit activity. Furthermore, Bush wasn't the only one cashing in. Enron contributed to the campaigns of three-fourths of the senators in office and more than half the members of the House. So why didn't the administration come clean in the first place? What could it possibly have to lose from telling the truth?

As it turns out, a lot. A big part of it has to do with public perception. In today's political climate, you simply can't say, "Yes, there were ties between Enron and this administration, but they were entirely legitimate." The mere suggestion makes the story newsworthy. People automatically assume that something scandalous transpired, then approval ratings drop, Democrats feel more free to criticize the president during an election year and, as a result, crucial seats in Congress are forfeited. It's a slippery slope to political disaster.

Furthermore, as many people have suggested, the real scandal may be in a relationship that was perfectly legal. Whereas evidence of illegal activity has been hard to come by, evidence of unethical activity has been readily available. According to The New York Times, Lay "told the head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that he should be more cooperative if he wanted to keep his job." When help from the commission wasn't forthcoming, the official found himself looking for work.

In the midst of its collapse, Enron's leaders found time to help Dick Cheney draft an energy plan in proceedings that have been kept secret. What's more, the political contributions never stopped, even as the corporation was in its death throes.

So upon contemplation of the administration's illegal actions comes further revelation of its shady legal ones. If this was an election year, this scandal could have been a major blow to an administration and a political party that promised to make White House politics clean again.

Still, the administration's lies have been so flagrant that it couldn't possibly have hoped to get away with them. But then again, it has never really had to. The problem hasn't been how to keep the public from finding out the truth; it has been how to keep the public eye diverted long enough for the media to kill the story.

With a story of this magnitude, the media have no choice but to initially ignore the minutiae and focus on the big picture. It is inevitable that voters will hear the truth but not before they hear everything else.

Not before they hear about the wretched corruption that eroded Enron's corporate structure. Not before they have the names of investigators, senators, auditors, CEOs and spokespeople drilled into their heads. Not before they hear the testimony of every employee who lost his or her life savings and retirement when the bubble burst. Not before · well, you get the idea.

Like almost every other newsworthy story, this one has been way, way overdone by the media. It's on the front page of the paper every day and the top story every evening. And like almost every other newsworthy story, it gets old. People stop paying attention. In fact, I'm sure that half the people who picked up this paper groaned and turned the page when they saw this was another column on Enron.

Simply put, what is confirmed by the media long after people cease to care is of much less concern to the administration than the deserved, public scrutiny of its legal actions, which could threaten to undermine the future success of the Republican party come election time.

Sometimes lying, even when you know you're going to get caught, is the best strategy.