In his first foray into anthropology since last year’s memorable encounter with the 500-year-old mummy of a 14-year-old Incan girl (“If I were a single man, I might ask that mummy out”), President Clinton toured a museum in Mexico last week that included in its collection two human skulls — relics of the ancient Olmec culture of southern Mexico best known for its custom of ” beautifying” infants by screwing their heads in a vise-like contraption, thus flattening their skulls.
As reported by both the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, the president was asked by one of his entourage to speculate on the deleterious effect this might have had on early childhood development — an obvious reference to the recent White House conference on that subject hosted by Mrs. Clinton. “It depends,” said our prez, “on whether you read to them or sing to them while you’re squeezing their heads.”
The Los Angeles Times referred to early childhood development as an issue “of particular interest to the first couple”; the president’s slip into irreverent hilarity gives rise to the suspicion that only half of that couple is really full of liberal piety on this issue.
