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Jewish World Review Dec. 28, 1998/9 Teves, 5759
Larry Elder
"Evil" Republicans
(JWR) --- (http://www.jewishworldreview.com) IN URGING CENSURE OVER IMPEACHMENT, one newspaper editorial described the
president's conduct this way: "odious," "contemptible," "shameful,"
"reckless," "indefensible," "despicable," "dishonest," "stupid."
And the president's lawyer, Gregory Craig, in testifying before the House
Judiciary Committee, called the president's behavior "evasive,"
"incomplete," "misleading," "maddening."
And the president's defense attorney, Charles Ruff, said to the House
Judiciary Committee that "reasonable people could believe the president lied
under oath."
This from the president's friends! Why, then, do Clinton defenders treat
those in favor of impeachment like the devil incarnate? Exaggeration, you
say?
Take Alan Dershowitz's recent appearance on "Rivera Live": " A vote against
impeachment is not a vote for Bill Clinton. It is a vote against bigotry.
It's a vote against fundamentalism. It's a vote against
anti-environmentalism. It's a vote against the right-to-life movement. It's
a vote against the radical right. This is truly the first battle in a great
culture war. And if this president is impeached, it will be a great victory
for the forces of evil, evil, genuine evil. People like Congressman Barr,
Sen. Trent Lott, Sen. Jesse Helms, who support white supremacist
organizations, will claim victory over decency and decent people. And I hope
that moderates out there realize, even if they don't like Bill Clinton, to
vote for impeachment is to vote to give their party over to the mad dogs of
radicalism." Mad dogs of radicalism?
How about Alec Baldwin on the "Conan O'Brien Show"? "As we speak right now,
the Judiciary Committee, the president has an approval rating of 68 percent.
I mean, the president is very popular, things are going pretty good, and
they're voting to impeach the president. They voted on one article of
impeachment already. And ... I come back from Africa to stained dresses and
cigars and impeachment, and I'm thinking to myself, in other countries they
are laughing at us 24 hours a day. And I'm thinking to myself, if we were in
other countries, we would, all of us together, would go down to Washington
and we would stone Henry Hyde to death. (Cheers) Then, we'd go to their
homes, and we'd kill their wives and their children." Kill their wives and
children?
Or feminist Betty Friedan: "To have our will overthrown by a bunch of
dirty, old white men trying to use sexual issues wrongly ... to impeach a
president, this is really a disgrace." Dirty, old white men?
And during the committee hearing, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) began one
speech with: "I am here in the name of my slave ancestors to insist that the
president be afforded the constitutional protections that should be
available to every citizen in this country." Slave ancestors?
Oh, it's ugly out there. Unabashed Clinton supporter and Hustler publisher
Larry Flynt put an ad in The Washington Post, offering $1 million for
information about adultery on any member of Congress or high-ranking public
official. Flynt claims to have the goods on about a dozen pols; all but one
are Republicans. (He's not sure whether to "out" the Democrat.) His
impending story on the House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston prompted
Livingston to publicly admit multiple extramarital affairs.
Why the frothing? After all, should Congress expel Clinton from office, Al
Gore stands ready to take over. Gore, ideologically compatible with Clinton,
possesses an even stronger "pro-environment" record. His stands on
affirmative action and "diversity" mirror Clinton's. His close personal
relationship with the president suggests little reason for the pro-Clinton
crowd to fear a switch in priorities, ideology or commitment to their
issues.
So why the hysteria? Simple. Many Democrats plainly and quite deeply find
Republicans irredeemably, irretrievably evil. Yes, evil.
Consider the way Dick Morris said the president described his 1996 campaign
opponent, Bob Dole, a World War II veteran who nearly lost his life
defending the country. According to Morris, Clinton said: " ... Bob Dole is
not a nice man. Bob Dole is evil. The things he wants to do to children are
evil. The things he wants to do to poor people and old people and sick
people are evil. Let's get that straight."
So in the ever-intriguing mind of the emotional, liberal Democrat,
impeachment turns not on the facts, the law or the Constitution. No, this
is, as Clinton attack dog James Carville put it, "war." This is Us vs. Them,
Rightness vs. Meanness, Good vs. Evil. Fortunately, in this fight, we do
have a referee. It's called the Constitution. And the founders established a
procedure for impeachment and trial in the Senate for a president who
becomes "odious," "contemptible," "shameful," "reckless," "indefensible,"
"despicable," "dishonest," "stupid."
Some quote the founders of the Constitution, others quote the founder of
"Hustler."
Pass the aspirin,
impeach Clinton
12/21/98: On to the Senate!
12/10/98: Will the real America stand up?
11/30/98: Save the children:tax the poor
11/30/98:Ken Starr and the vast left-wing conspiracy
11/19/98: Will the real hypocrite stand up!?
11/13/98: The Clinton 400
10/23/98: My evening with Chris Rock
10/15/98: Slavery is not funny
10/02/98: Clinton --- friend of the working woman
9/28/98: George Washington vs. the Grand Jury
9/18/98: It's the perjury, stupid
9/14/98: The "Larry List" of the most fascinating women in politics
9/07/98: Why blacks shouldn't support Clinton
8/27/98:The Brown bomber strikes Justice Thomas
8/21/98:So very clintonesque
8/17/98: Gary Coleman, hate criminal?
8/07/98: How much mea culpa?
7/24/98: ATM Al?
7/24/98: Advising the advisors
7/17/98: Camille Cosby's carelessness
7/9/98: Moses mugged
7/2/98: Al Campanis -- forever a racist?
6/25/98: And you thought "coke" was worse than smokes
6/19/98: Is Jasper ‘America'?
6/12/98: Guess who's not coming to dinner
6/5/98: What now, NOW?
5/29/98:What's next, ‘burger busters'?
5/21/98: 'Stuff' happens
5/18/98: This just in
5/11/98: Stepping up
4/30/98: Who's faking whom?
4/23/98:PRESIDENTIAL HOOP DREAMS
4/16/98:To spank or not to spank
4/10/98:TWA: TEACHING WHILE ASIAN