Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Okay. He did it. He admitted that he lied to his wife, his supporters. To the American people.
So, what now?
Well, given the fact of his "confession", does anyone in America really think that President William Jefferson Clinton didn't commit perjury. All his linguistic gymnastics aside, he, for all intents and purposes, lied under oath when he denied a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinski.
Phrases like "was legally correct," and "misled" don't cut the mustard Mr. President. You were asked if you has a sexual relationship with the young intern. You had, you knew you had, and you - knowingly and intentionally - told an untruth. In my book, that's lying.
Relying on complex legalisms won't change it. Relying on attacks against the prosecutors won't change it. Wagging your finger in my face, and those of some 250 million of our countrymen, while strongly denying it won't change it.
All that being said, there's no chance "President Prevaricator" will ever face a criminal charges of perjury like an ordinary citizen, who lied under oath and got caught, would. No, the only sanction that could possibly be imposed is removal from office through impeachment.
Without going into all the gory details, the House of Representatives has to charge a sitting president and the Senate has convict him of a crime or crimes, then both chambers must vote to give him the boot.
Will that happen? No, it isn't likely. What is likely is that it will be a bipartisan effort to keep Clinton in office.
The Democrats will want that, because they won't want to give the Republicans a "Nixon" to point to when disparaging the foes across the aisle. The Republicans will decline to press the matter, because defeating a Vice President Gore in 2000 will be less formidable that defeating a President Gore.
No, President Clinton will remain President Clinton until January 2001. But, he shouldn't.
Clinton should do the honorable thing and resign. But, if he was honorable, we wouldn't be facing this situation in the first place.
The Republicans, if they would think about the good of the country rather than their electoral prospects in 2000, would be clamoring to begin the impeachment process. But they won't.
Regaining the White House for the GOP is more important than punishing an admitted liar occupying the Oval Office and beginning the process of re-instilling some integrity into the Executive Branch of the government. All their protestations about the scandal and corruption are show, with little or no substance or conviction behind them.
The Democrats, if they were truly concerned about the "common man" as they claim, would be leading the charge to run the President out of town on a rail. Then, they could help President Gore in his efforts to salvage what is left of a miserable excuse for an administration. But they won't.
Maintaining the appearance of party loyalty and keeping the "Watergate" hammer over the heads of Republicans is more important than sending the message to all future Presidents that lying to the American people, subverting our legal process, and bringing dishonor upon the executive branch will not be tolerated, regardless of the party affiliation of the resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
No. Politics will reign supreme in the most political of political institutions.
You'd like to think that allowing these crass political considerations to let a perjurer, and obstructionist of our justice system, go unsanctioned would embarrass our elected representatives in Washington.
But it won't.
