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Jewish World Review Feb. 18, 1999/1 Adar, 5759
Larry Elder
Life in the Clinton
(JWR) --- (http://www.jewishworldreview.com) BEFORE THE ANTICLIMACTIC SENATE VOTE on whether to convict and remove the
president, press secretary Joe Lockhart declared the White House a
"gloat-free" zone.
Apparently, some didn't get the road map.
Minutes before the Senate vote, former presidential counsel Lanny Davis
called the vote a "vindication" and declared that the Senate would hold the
president "innocent." Davis also took the opportunity to again slap Linda
Tripp, stating that he felt like "taking a shower" whenever her name came
up. Following the Senate vote, MSNBC's Geraldo Rivera said that he, too,
would restrain himself from "gloating."
Did Messrs. Davis and Rivera watch West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert
Byrd's pre-Senate vote appearance on "This Week With Sam and Cokie"? There,
Byrd said, "The question is, does this rise to the level of high crimes and
misdemeanors? I say 'yes,' no doubt about it in my mind. ... I have no doubt
that he has given false testimony under oath and that he has misled the
American people and that there are indications that he did, indeed, obstruct
justice ... " Despite his misgivings, however, Byrd said he intended to vote
to acquit because "conviction carries with it removal," the American people
want him to remain in office, the president has but two years to serve and
the whole ordeal has created a "division."
Before this burst of candor, newspapers routinely referred to Byrd as "a
statesman" and "elder," the "guardian of the tradition of the Senate."
Following his televised statement on the president's guilt, one major
newspaper described Byrd only as "influential," dropping its earlier title
of "statesman." Make that former elder statesman Sen. Byrd.
University of Akron constitutional law professor Wilson Huhn found Byrd's
words shocking. Huhn, who does not believe the president's actions warranted
impeachment, let alone removal, nevertheless sharply objected to Byrd's
logic: "If he feels the president committed perjury and obstruction of
justice, and that they constitute high crimes and misdemeanors, he has no
choice but to vote to convict." Professor Huhn agreed that Byrd engaged in
pure and simple jury nullification. "Yes," said Huhn, "conviction carries
removal. It's supposed to."
A gloat-free zone? The Los Angeles Times in editorializing against
impeachment, called the president's behavior "odious," "contemptible,"
"shameful," "reckless," "indefensible," "despicable," "dishonest" and
"stupid." No, the president's defenders would be well-advised not to gloat.
And even the president's own defense lawyer, Charles Ruff, said that
"reasonable people" could conclude that the president "crossed the line"
into perjury. Oh, so reasonable people could agree with the dastardly,
vicious, sex-obsessed, witch-hunting independent counsel Ken Starr?
Reasonable people could conclude that oral sex meets the Paula Jones
definition of sexual relations, which includes "contact with the genitalia
... with an intent to arouse or gratify"?
A gloat-free zone? Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) also voted against
conviction. She did, however, propose a censure resolution, containing the
following:
"Whereas William Jefferson Clinton, president of the United States, engaged
in an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate employee in the White
House, which was shameful, reckless and indefensible;
"Whereas William Jefferson Clinton, president of the United States,
deliberately misled and deceived the American people, and people in all
branches of the United States government;
"Whereas William Jefferson Clinton, president of the United States, gave
false or misleading testimony and his actions have had the effect of
impeding discovery of evidence in judicial proceedings;
"Whereas William Jefferson Clinton's conduct in this matter is unacceptable
for a president of the United States, does demean the office of the
president as well as the president himself, and creates disrespect for laws
of the land;
"Whereas future generations of Americans must know that such behavior is
not only unacceptable but also bears grave consequences, including loss of
integrity, trust and respect;
"Whereas William Jefferson Clinton's conduct in this matter has brought
shame and dishonor to himself and to the office of the president; and
"Whereas William Jefferson Clinton through his conduct in this matter has
violated the trust of the American people."
Gloat? The only people arguably entitled to gloat are the House managers,
who stood tall in the face of the unsympathetic media and poll numbers that
worked against them. But the 13 House managers, shackled in the presentation
of their case by the Senate, know better than to gloat. They're likely too
busy grieving. For the country.
A gloat-free zone? The president has about as much reason to gloat as O.J.
Simpson. They got away with it. But I see an upside. Maybe O.J. "The Killer"
Simpson can take time from the golf links to help the president find the
real
gloat-free zone
02/16/99: The fur coat death notice
01/29/99: A Malcolm X postage stamp? What about George Wallace?
01/21/99: Racism is only a conservative problem, right?
01/18/99: Police brutality? What about policy brutality?
01/04/99: The NBA slam-dunks taxpayers
12/28/98: "Evil" Republicans 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