Conspiracy Wars

The best defense may be a solid offense in war, but let's cool it in national debate.

Specifically, normal citizens across the US would serve their country well if they paid no attention to conspiracy theorists of the far right and the White House spin team.

Yes, it's a free country. And let's not curtail free speech. But no rule says anyone has to listen to, let along pass along, wild claims about how America is being run by secret cabals and ideological networks.

Of course loose jungle-drum communications exist among like-minded ideologues on the fringes of right and left. Of course tacticians in the current battle seething around the president find it useful to feed those jungle drums.

But most Americans' lives can go forward without worry about Clinton conspirators allegedly silencing late White House adviser Vincent Foster in some bizarre fashion that would stump Agatha Christie. And the average citizen needn't fret about the "vast right-wing conspiracy" that Mrs. Clinton claims to see radiating out from independent counsel Kenneth Starr.

Just stick to the issues, please.