Jewish World Review Nov. 17, 1999 /8 Kislev, 5760
Chris Matthews
Our conveniently forgetful president
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
BILL CLINTON MUST BELIEVE that nine
months is the outer limit of the American memory. Either
that or he remains in a deep state of denial about the
humiliation he so recently caused himself and the country.
"I think that history will view this much differently," he said
in an interview with ABC's Carole Simpson. "They will
say I made a bad personal mistake, I paid a price for it,
but that I was right to stand and fight for the country and
my Constitution and its principles, and that the American
people were very good to stand with me.
"I think that over the long run, the fact that we
accomplished as much as we did in the face of the severe,
bitter, partisan onslaught... will, in a way, make many of
the things we achieve seem all the more impressive."
These words tell more about the president's state of mind
today than the true events of 1998 and 1999. He wants
his contemporaries to accept — and wants future
generations to be instructed — that his impeachment and
subsequent trial in the Senate resulted from behavior that
was entirely "personal" and charges that were entirely
political.
Fortunately, a printed record displays both the public
nature of Clinton's misconduct and the bipartisan nature
of its condemnation.
Prior to the Senate vote on whether to remove Clinton from office, 29
members of the president's own party sponsored a resolution of censure.
Co-sponsors included liberals Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Paul Wellstone
of Minnesota, Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Charles Schumer of New York,
Bob Torricelli of New Jersey, John Kerry of Massachusetts, as well as the
prime sponsor, Dianne Feinstein of San Francisco.
The resolution was also backed by Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of
South Dakota.
It said that Clinton:
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"Uh, you do remember?"
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Engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate employee in the
White House, which was shameful, reckless, and indefensible...
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Deliberately misled and deceived the American people, and people in all
branches of the United States government...
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Gave false or misleading testimony and his actions have had the effect of
impeding discovery of evidence in judicial proceedings ...
- Demean(s) the office of the president... and creates disrespect for the laws of
the land...
- Brought shame and dishonor to himself and the office of the presidency...
Violated the trust of the American people... and that 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...
(After the acquittal, Feinstein failed to get enough senators willing to bring any
of her several censure resolutions to a floor vote. In the end, 38 senators signed
a statement in February that censured Clinton's "shameful, reckless and
indefensible" behavior in his sexual affair with intern Monica Lewinsky. It was
entered in the Congressional Record.)
Thanks to Sen. Feinstein and her liberal Democratic colleagues, the historic
record will forever contain hard documentation that the president's dealings
with regard to this sordid matter did not make his solid achievements "all the
more impressive" but rather made his arrogant and self-destructive behavior all
the more
tragic.
JWR contributor Chris Matthews is the author of Hardball. and hosts a CNBC show of the same name. Send your comments to him by clicking here.
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©1999, NEA
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