President Bill Clinton has survived a week of intense public scrutiny, but members of the Iowa State community have varying opinions about the recent scandal and bombings.

After confessing via television that he had “misled” the American people about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, Clinton gave the orders for a missile attack on Sudan and Afghanistan.

The president said the military actions were targeted against potential terrorist attacks, but for many people, the bombings of Sudan bring to mind a recent Oscar-nominated movie.

“Wag the Dog,” a 1998 satirical comedy, based on the novel “American Hero,” starred Robert De Niro and Anne Heche as political spin doctors who team with a flamboyant Hollywood producer, Dustin Hoffman, to create their own war.

The war in question is being staged to divert attention from the fictional president’s encounter with an under-aged “Fire Fly Girl.”

More than one pundit has remarked on the “life vs. fiction” aspect to the recent bombings, and the popularity of the movie has increased.

Nathan Herink, assistant manager of Video Update, 3615 Lincoln Way, said all the store’s copies of “Wag the Dog,” which was released on video earlier this summer, have been out since the bombings.

“The rental of ‘Wag the Dog’ did pick up,” Herink said. “The rentals had slowed down until over this last week, when they did the bombings.”

Herink said he thinks many customers were bored with the Lewinsky scandal, but the bombings and the “life-imitating-art” irony that parallels Clinton’s recent conflicts have boosted interest in the movie.

“The scandal definitely picked up the rental,” he said.

Michael Bakken, assistant manager of Hollywood Video, 637 Lincoln Way, agreed that rentals of “Wag the Dog” have increased “100 percent.”

“Let’s put it this way: we have 60 to 80 copies [of the movie], and last weekend, three or four were left,” Bakken said. “The movie was popular before, but it’s been out for a month or so, and we kept them all on the shelf, and then they all went out the door.”

Although the movie’s popularity may be growing, the Clinton scandal remains a reality, and members of the Ames community are divided about the issues.

One satirical theme of “Wag the Dog” was the relationship between the media and the American people.

Dick Haws, professor of journalism and mass communication, said he thinks the reason Clinton has been pursued by litigators over the past years has more to do with his behavior than the actions of the press.

Likening the situation to that of disgraced presidential candidate Gary Hart, Haws said that media exposure has to do with the candidate.

“I think the reason [media exposure] is happening now is because of what existed before,” Haws said. “I’m not that concerned with the media’s performance — I think Bill Clinton needs to clean his own house.”

Haws also said he does not see a major connection between “zippergate” and Watergate.

“Watergate involves more fundamental issues,” he said, while Clinton’s problems stem from issues “much more individual in nature.”

Haws also said he does not believe there is a direct connection between “Wag the Dog” and the recent bombings.

“I can’t believe that President Clinton has taken this [opportunity] to divert attention from his own problems,” Haws said.

Haws said that although Clinton misled the country for seven months, it is understandable why some Americans would believe the “fiction.”

“For the next two years, we’ll have a person in the White House we can’t trust,” he said.

Jon Dagnillo, freshman in computer engineering, said he has not seen “Wag the Dog,” but he thinks Clinton may be using the bombings to divert attention from the scandal.

“I know if I was in that situation, I would do [whatever possible] to divert attention from something that personal, that private,” he said. “It’s really nobody’s business.”

Ashley Younie, freshman in interior design, said she was not sure whether “life was imitating art.”

“It sounds a lot like it, but I don’t think the government would stoop that low — but maybe,” Younie said.

Others, like Trent Seigfried, said the situation is not like the fictional one.

“It takes time to plan a missile strike,” said Seigfried, who is a junior in biology. “[The situation] might have worked out to Clinton’s advantage, but I think [the strikes] were planned before his testimony.”

Ron Peters, professor of psychology, said there is no clear reason why Americans see the Clinton situation so many different ways.

“I think people’s perceptions of the events sort of depend upon their party affiliations,” Peters said.

“People base their beliefs on their past experiences,” he said.

Peters noted that the United States is not the same country as it was 25 years ago, when it was in the throes of the Watergate scandal.

“Our country’s clearly different; we’ve faced crisis after crisis,” he said, adding that similar problems with the government have long existed. “[The problems] have simply become more public, and I think it’s good it’s become more public.”

But Peters said there is no one explanation that would account for Clinton’s now-admitted behavior with Lewinsky, especially considering Clinton knew special prosecutor Kenneth Starr was investigating him at the time of his affair.

“It’s probably easy to come up with some post-hoc explanation, but there are so many reasons — to pin one down would be extremely difficult,” Peters said.

Peters said one thing will be Clinton’s legacy — the press will watch future presidential candidates more closely.

“First of all, politicians are going to be extremely careful, but even people who have had minor transgressions, who would be excellent politicians, may choose not to become involved in a situation subject to such intense scrutiny,” he said.