In the political world, timing can be everything. Some things are predictable – the Superbowl will distract voters for a weekend; the Olympics will occupy the media for two weeks; and, the State of the Union will lead the news for a day. Some things are unpredictable – disasters (like the shuttle explosions) can captivate for days; scandals can stay on the radar screen for months; and celebrity misdeeds can occupy a piece of the public consciousness endlessly. Managing both the predictable and the unpredictable is a critical skill for political survival.

At times, managing these dynamics can be especially tricky when it comes to politics. Sometimes, the need for visibility directly conflicts with events dominating news coverage and occupying the attention of voters. Democrats have discovered just how difficult getting attention can be since September 11th and especially how difficult it has been during a time of war, even with a friendly media looking for ways to help. The result is political irrelevance. Not even paid media can overcome the obscurity which results.

And, there are times when nothing is going on, and the focus is squarely on an officeholder or candidate when they least want it. President Clinton experienced this phenomenon on several occasions. California Governor Gray Davis has been getting a full dose for the last couple months. No matter what the person receiving the attention wants to talk about, the story remains the same. Governor Davis could announce a cure for an incurable disease, and the story will still be about the recall.

Unfortunately, there are times when there is nothing going on. Yet, the papers do not stop printing and television companies do not stop broadcasting. Although these lulls come and go intermittently through out the year, they invariably come every August when the Congress goes home and the President goes on vacation. After the stockpile of human interest stories has been exhausted, the media inevitably defaults back to a pattern of perpetual magnification of every criticism which can be found.

Indeed, the most dreaded time of year for a sitting President has to be during the August recess of the United States Congress. This President is no different. Inevitably, the media microscope will be retrieved from the closet and every speech, appearance, action, order, and policy will be inspected for any possible flaw for full amplification on the front page of the paper or the lead on the nightly news broadcast. Any discernible trend, real or imagined, will be translated into an inevitable result regardless of the absurdity of the conclusion. And so, the days leading into August came.

And then came Kobe. Just as the news drought was about to begin, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault of a nineteen year old woman in Eagle, Colorado. In O.J. Simpson-esque fashion, a full scale effort has been launched to discover every lurid detail of the encounter. The story has sex, celebrity, and lawyers all wrapped into to one super story. Cable news channel executives are giddy. Radio talk show hosts can not contain themselves. And the media is in frenzy.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the President will take a well deserved rest.