> This was exactly what was promissed with Whitewater: "how business gets
> done down in Arkansas" ... turned out to be a snoozer, though.
It seems to me there was a degree of detachment on the part of most US citizens vis-a-vis Whitewater, something equivalent to being forced against one's will to watch a badly-written serial involving over-earnest, unlikeable characters unfold on TV for months on end.
Conversely, the Enron situation involves an enormous number of shareholders and employees with a compelling interest in "encouraging" Congress, DoJ, and SEC to slog through the mess to whatever extent it's possible. Not to mention, as with 9/11, a not-insignificant swath of the populace who can identify with the "victims," and opportunistic legislators thinking of upcoming elections who'll be able to feel their pain. So to whatever extent there may have been compelling details that were missed, glossed over, or swept under the carpet with Whitewater, it's perhaps a bit less likely to be the case with Enron. And undoubtedly even trivialities will be magnified if legislators feel it's in their interest to do so.
Finally, as with an especially good book, a compelling narrative increases interest and engagement with the text (not to mention long-term retention of the plot details on the part of readers - that could come in handy).
Of course, that's the optimistic storyline - thare are others that may be equally plausible and more depressing. I may be a bit unreliable as a commentator as I'm the recent beneficiary of SEC investigative actions myself, though heaven only knows how long it'll be before I actually recover my $1500.
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/ dave /