In the press "bull pen" in the UN building some peace-keeping was badly needed as the hacks could not make up their mind whether to watch President Clinton delivering his address to the General Assembly or President Clinton squirming as he answered questions about Ms Monica Lewinsky.
The TV monitors were getting switched from one Clinton to the other, delighting some journalists and infuriating others. Gradually the Monica junkies were outnumbered and just one TV set was tuned to the President giving his grand jury evidence.
Journalists gathered around this set had the eerie experience of being able to look at the same time at the President addressing the General Assembly by just turning their heads.
It became even more surreal when TV cameramen started filming other TV cameramen who were filming journalists watching President Clinton on the videotape while the real live President was being filmed as he spoke in the General Assembly just a few yards away. It was that kind of a day.
Then a UN female official took offence at this carry-on and tried to turn off the set tuned to the Clinton videotape which most of the world was probably watching. "You should not be watching this," she shouted. "This monitor is for watching the General Assembly only."
Monica junkies, including this correspondent, protested strongly. "This is part of the story," we pointed out. The UN woman stamped off muttering: "We'll see."
CNN coverage then broke away to show some of the photographs in the 2,800 pages of testimony and exhibits being released at the same time as the video. As pictures of letters which Monica Lewinsky had written but not sent and of the infamous dress came up on screen, a European journalist spluttered with outrage.
"It's unbelievable, this f*****g country. Such hypocrisy and puritanism."
He stamped away in a rage leaving the rest of us a bit ashamed of our voyeurism.
The President had received a standing ovation as he came to the rostrum of the General Assembly. Clearly, the representatives of 185 countries wanted to tell him that whatever he did with Monica Lewinsky was small beer compared with the problems confronting the world outside the Washington beltway. And of course they are right.
Then Nelson Mandela came to the rostrum to address the problems confronting Africa. The UN woman took advantage of the dwindling attendance around the TV monitor tuned to President Clinton testifying in the White House to turn it off.
The other President Clinton was now leaving the UN building to go to the US mission where he would meet the Prime Minister of Pakistan. It was business as usual.
Soon he was back at the UN for a lunch with world leaders hosted by the Secretary General, Kofi Annan. The other President Clinton was still giving his testimony on CNN, showing flashes of temper as the questions got more intrusive.
By the time the real-time President headed in a motorcade for New York University to talk about "Democracy in the Global Economy" his double had mercifully gone off the airwaves. Well not quite. The networks were playing the choice bits for those who had not time to watch the full show.
Meanwhile the real President Clinton was proceeding to "private time" in his Waldorf Astoria suite. And about time too.