On Jan. 1, David Bliss, Shop Foreman in Fir Acres Theater, quit his job at Lewis & Clark. This was the last in a series of local events stemming from the Monica Lewinsky fiasco in Washington DC. Lewinsky, a 1995 graduate from LC's psychology department, is well known. What may not be as commonly known is the incident that brought Monica into contact with Bliss.
In the spring of 1995, Lewinsky asked Bliss if he could help her cousin find a job sometime before her graduation. Bliss agreed to do an interview and, forming a favorable opinion of the young man, referred him to several job opportunities in the area.
Shortly thereafter, he received a letter from the post office that was undeliverable because the handwriting was too messy. Though he hadn't written it, Bliss's return address was on the envelope. Opening the letter, Bliss found a sheet of paper inside with some job details. At the bottom of the paper was the signature "D. Bliss". Bliss was surprised and concerned; the signature was clearly not his own. He realized that the letter was addressed to the same young man whom he had recently interviewed. Apparently, Lewinsky had decided to provide her "cousin" with some job verification that he could show to a judge as proof of employment in Portland.
Bliss wrote Lewinsky a memo informing her that her "non ethical approach to solve Andy Bleiler's employment future should not have included me [Bliss] in this way." Bliss requested a letter of apology and threatened further action if such was not forthcoming.
One day later Lewinsky hand- delivered her letter of apology to Bliss. In the letter she wrote, "You are right, what I have done is a disservice to you and your department, as well as against the law. I would like to formally extend my apologies to you. I appreciate you giving me this opportunity to rectify the situation before further action need be taken." She continued to say that Andy Bleiler had no knowledge of her actions, and attempted to explain how the situation came about. "In all honesty, I never imagined that doing what I thought would be a kind, helpful thing for one of my closest friends would turn out to be one of the biggest nightmares of my life thus far."
Apparantly Bleiler was involved in an on-going custody battle with his wife's ex-husband, and needed to be able to prove that he had employment waiting for him in Portland. "It may be hard to believe," Lewinsky wrote, "but it did not even cross my mind that I was forging a signature and that it was illegal." Lewinsky finished by pleading with Bliss to keep the incident quiet. Feeling sorry for her, Bliss decided to fulfill her request.
Later, Bliss discovered that Bleiler was not, in fact, Lewinsky's cousin, but rather a married man with whom she was having an affair. These details emerged as a result of the scandal surrounding President Clinton's affair with Lewinsky.
When Bliss found out about independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr's investigation, he decided that it was his duty to offer his evidence of Lewinsky's character to Starr, thus volunteering to go before the grand jury. When he was never called, Bliss was upset. He felt that Starr was neglecting his job by not investigating important evidence. Apparently, Starr wasn't interested in impeaching Lewinsky's character. When Starr granted Lewinsky immunity Bliss decided that the only way he could hold her responsible was to come forward with his story.
Bliss says he thinks that Lewinsky got away with something terrible. "She's two different people, there is the dark side of Monica, and then there is the fluffy student. When I heard that she was going to Washington as an intern I thought to myself, 'she'll fit right in.'" Bliss first realized that justice was not going to be served when Starr granted Lewinsky immunity. Now he feels that he has to tell the world what he knows of her character, as witnessed through his experience with her dishonesty.
Prior to this realization he had remained anonymous, behind a screen of LC lawyers. Following the decision grant Lewinsky immunity, the school dropped its legal representation of Bliss. Coming forward introduced a whirlwind of reporters and TV shows to Bliss's life. "I admire many recognizable and accomplished people and I mention them throughout my writings," Bliss writes, "many of them have experienced the 'overnight' sensation. I guess it was just my turn to join the club."
Bliss decided to quit his job in the LC Theater Department and devote his time to writing a book about his experiences during the Lewinsky scandal. "If she can't be held accountable for her actions legally," he said, "maybe my book is the second best option." According to Bliss, Lewinsky has single-handedly caused the impeachment of a president of the United States. This is not something that happens very often.
Bliss pointed out that "you only give immunity in trade." He suggested that she must have done something wrong: forgeries, lies under oath, obstructing justice. He is also suspicious about Lewsinky withholding the evidence of the stained dress for such an extended period of time. "The woman is vicious," he said, "she uses sex against people. But she doesn't have the goods on me, I have the goods on her." Bliss also suggested that Lewinsky planned the scandal as ploy to get attention. "This woman and her mother have compiled this whole thing," he said, "I mean, who would keep a dress like that? It's all planned out."
Bliss alleges that Lewinsky is milking this scandal for everything she can get. Regarding the book that she released this year he said, "that book is full of lies, all a bunch of lies. She's dangerous, in my opinion."
In the rough draft that Bliss allowed the Pioneer Log to look over, Bliss assures his readers that there will be further episodes with Lewinsky in the lime light. He is sure that she won't want the attention to shift away for too long.
"I could have prevented Monica Lewinsky from potentially becoming a White House intern and graduating from college," Bliss said to the Oregonian last year, "instead I chose to give her a chance, believe in her story, and look where we are in 1998." Bliss gave Lewinsky the benefit of the doubt, and gave the same to Starr. He regrets both decisions.
Bliss says that this issue is constantly on his mind; it is something that he thinks is very important. "Does that mean I'm obsessed with this issue?" he writes, "honestly, I could care less what others think. If I find this issue important enough to constantly think about, write about, and finally decide to write a book about it, that pretty much speaks for itself."
However, Bliss admits that not everyone has patience for his continuing interest in Monica Lewinsky. "People say to me 'aren't you taking this a bit too far? ' But I just ask them what they would do in my situation. I mean, this woman just got away with murder!"
Bliss's book should be about 300 pages, composed of his journal entries during the scandal, his letters to Lewinsky and her responses, interviews that he hopes to conduct with many of the key figures involved with the event, and some explanation and commentary. He doesn't have a publisher, but he is currently working with an agent. Bliss expects to have his book released within the next two years.
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