The rest of the effect was probably the realization that Clinton's personal power to interfere with such reports had seriously declined.
Certainly. And don't you think it even more likely mainstream media wouldn't be able to keep the lid on stories if the Bush administration is SERIOUSLY investigating, prosecuting and publicizing the crimes?
The reason that it will be difficult to see more such stories is that the Demoncrats are on the ropes and will expend much of their capital to prevent a drubbing in November.
I don't follow your logic. You don't think they considered Pardongate serious? Hah! And again ... what can they do to stop honest investigations and the American people from learning the results of those investigations. Even trying would taint not only those directly involved in the Clinton scandals but everyone in the democRAT party and the media. No ... they will do what politicians do best ... spin, distance and cut their losses by letting those who committed crimes hang. Some will even join in on the destruction of those people because they will know that is the ONLY thing to do when the charges are treason and murder.
Fox news has grown enough that they are probably concerned that they cannot keep up the pace without encouraging even more "fair and balanced" reporting which includes ridiculous liberal viewpoints.
I have no problem with democRATS going on FOX to bury themselves even deeper. They generally don't fair very well on the network, do they. Precisely because they get asked questions they can't answer. Which is exactly what happened in Pardongate and which is what would happen in Chinagate, Filegate, Riadygate, the death of Brown, etc.
I just took a trip down memory lane and reviewed some recent articles about Julie Hyatt Steele.
I see no reason whatever to believe that Steele lied to Issikof regarding an allegation of sexual assault on the part of the President of the United States.
Despite the nonsense that Steele lied to Issikof because Willey asked her to, Steele was able to beat a perjury rap.
I believe that, despite what you say regarding the "slam-dunk" that Pardongate might be, the Demoncrats will pile lie upon lie, liar upon liar, and will be aided by a sympathetic press.
Stalling, perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence... all the different tools available to the evil are still available.
The Watergate scandal would have succeeded if the judge who sentenced the original burglars had given them light sentences. This would have eliminated the need to raise hush money and the whole thing would have stayed under the radar. Even then, it took almost two years for the work of Woodward and Bernstein to ripen into the criminal case it became. If not for the White House taping system, Nixon would not have resigned.
I have come to believe that widespread conspiracies which involve powerful people and which are aided by a near majority of amoral Americans cannot be successfully prosecuted. I believe that if Bush attempted to continue the investigations of Clinton, that more of what happened would continue to happen. The defenders of Clinton voted for Gore. There are more of them than us.
I challenge you to show me even one Clinton crime which is recognized by a majority of Americans.