THIS week the United States Senate set aside pending matters of state - the North American Free Trade Agreement, the President's Health Care Bill - to debate something really important. So important in fact that the majority leader invoked a rarely used rule to command the attendance of all his colleagues.
What, you ask, is urgent enough to pre-empt the normal functioning of the upper chamber of Congress? Have 250,000 postal workers gone on strike? Did Mr Clinton declare war on Canada? Is Alaska seeking to secede from the Union? None of the above. Our elected law makers, dedicated servants of the commonweal, have been called into special session for a higher purpose: to discuss whether or not to subpoena the private, possible X-rated diaries of one of their members accused of making aggressive and uninvited sexual advances on his staff.
I'm not joking. The most powerful legislative body in the world has spent two days, and counting, summoning the courage to endorse the unanimous recommendation of its own ethics panel that Senator Bob Packwood be forced - by a Federal court order, if necessary - to hand over his personal diaries for scrutiny.
It didn't take the Senate that long to endorse the US war against Iraq.
Let's back up a little. Shortly after the Oregon senator was re-elected last autumn, the Washington Post reported that 25 women had accused Mr Packwood of sexual harassment, and of using his power to intimidate the objects of his misguided desire into silence.
At first, he denied having done anything improper. But when it became apparent that the controversy was not about to blow over - the once-popular senator could hardly make public appearances in his own state due to angry protests - he finally issued a blanket confession and apology.
