A couple of weeks ago, Tim Russert of NBC’s Meet the Press read his audience choice bits of U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright’s latest and perhaps final decision in the Paula Jones litigation. Bill Clinton, Wright had written on July 29, has “violated this Court’s discovery orders by giving false, misleading, and evasive answers that were designed to obstruct the judicial process.” Then Russert asked his guest, White House chief of staff John Podesta, whether the president would “now accept the judge’s words as true.”

Well, Podesta replied, “he will pay the fine.” And “he has accepted responsibility.” And he is returning to his “work for the American people.” And “I don’t really have much more to say.”