The release of the 1997 movie Wag the Dog had to be delayed because of certain actions Clinton took during the Lewinsky scandal that seemed designed to distract from his sex crime case.
During the late-1990s Clinton–Lewinsky scandal, U.S. president Bill Clinton ordered missile strikes in Afghanistan and Sudan shortly after the story broke, drawing comparisons with the film and popularizing usage of the phrase.
During impeachment proceedings of Clinton, Clinton also bombed Iraq, drawing stronger "wag the dog" allusions.
With the scandal still on the public's mind in March 1999, his administration launched a bombing campaign against Yugoslavia. These actions drew more attention to the phrase, growing its popularity.
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