The Time magazine cover for 16 March 1998 featured a photograph of John Travolta and the words "Lights! Camera! Clinton!" to spotlight coverage of the new political movie Primary Colors, adapted from Washington columnist Joe Klein's anonymous 1996 novel, which was based loosely on President Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign. Released in the midst of the Lewinsky scandal, the movie focuses on a young campaign aide whose idealism is destroyed by the pragmatic, no-holds- barred attitude of the candidate and his staff. Though Klein claimed that his characters were not exact matches to real people, critics and viewers easily identified Jack and Susan Stanton as the Clintons, Lawrence Harris as Clinton primary rival Paul Tsongas, Fred Picker as third-party candidate H. Ross Perot, campaign operative Richard Jemmons as James Carville, and Henry Burton, the idealistic young aide, as George Stephanopoulos.

Truth versus Fiction.

Primary Colors and Wag...