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Jewish World Review /Dec. 9, 1998 /20 Kislev, 5759
Walter Williams
Advancing national decadence
DEMOCRATS WERE RIGHT in their claim that the House Judiciary Committee
hearings haven't revealed anything new about Clinton's conduct in office.
What the hearings have revealed is the advanced cancerous stage of American
moral decadence. Let's look at it.
Americans watched a day-long questioning of Independent Counsel Kenneth
Starr. Any objective viewer would have seen Starr as poised, dignified and
responsive to committee members' questions. By contrast, the questioning by
Democrat committee members like Maxine Waters, D-Calif.; Sheila Jackson,
D-Texas; Barney Frank, D-Mass.; and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., were rude and
shameful. Moreover, their questions had nothing to do with the subject of
the hearings -- the evidence presented and the presi dent's behavior.
Within hours of Starr's testimony, Sam Dash, his legal advisor, publicly
resigned because Starr rejected his advice not to accept Congress' request
to testify about his impeachment referral. The legal community, and other
Clinton supporters, applauded Dash. If a lawyer in a civil or criminal case
called a press conference to announce his resignation, saying his client is
guilty, that lawyer would be in clear violation of legal ethics.
Washington's Rules of Professional Ethics says, "A lawyer shall not
intentionally prejudice or damage a client during the course of the
professional relationship." And, "The lawyer's obligation to preserve the
client's confidences and secrets continues after the termination of the
lawyer's employment." Dash felt confident that legal ethical standards have
sunk so low that he could damage his client with impunity.
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee held hearings featuring convicted
perjurers -- people who lied under oath about sexual episodes. Other
witnesses were two high-ranking retired military officers who discussed the
corrosive influence commander in chief Clinton's behavior was having on
military morale and how a commander's integrity and truthfulness are vital
to fighting units. The fact that jittery Republicans felt they had to call
witnesses to say that the president should be held accountable to laws, and
that a commander's integrity and truthfulness is important, is more evidence
of our advanced moral decadence. That a president should have honesty and
integrity, and not be above the law is something that used to be taken for
granted.
Nobody can say the House Judiciary Committee didn't have witness balance.
Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz told the committee that the real
perjury problem in America are the police. Dershowitz had confidence that
academic standards have declined so much that his colleagues won't criticize
his asininity. Former Judge Leon Higginbotham testified in reference to
committee witnesses convicted for perjury, "What is the relevance of what
they did to a president who got 49 percent of the vote?" Higginbotham added
that the president did nothing more serious than lie about driving 5 mph
over the speed limit. Higginbotham can still walk proudly among his
colleagues.
Have we become a nation where perjury, witness-tampering and obstruction of
justice is OK -- like driving 5 mph over the speed limit? Or do we just
grant our rulers immunity from the rule of law? I hope both answers are no.
But just in case, I'll point out that a benefit of being 62 years-old is I
won't be around when chaos and tyranny overcome the nation and people ask,
"Where did it
Instead, they brazenly attacked the integrity of Starr. The fact they
conducted themselves as agitated infants in need of a diaper change in and
of itself is not very significant. What is significant is the confidence
they had that our national standards have sunk so low there'd be no outrage
and political price to pay for their conduct.
Waters
12/02/98:The Civil War wasn't about slavery
11/24/98:What's happened to us?
11/20/98:Tragedy in black neighborhoods
11/11/98:Family debasement
I11/04/98: Is it them or us?
10/28/98: Where are the poor?
10/21/98: The budget surplus hoax
10/15/98: Where union power lies
10/08/98: Race and sex in the military
9/29/98: Can Clinton run the economy?
9/25/98: Liberals and the constitution
9/17/98: Clinton and future presidents
9/11/98: Donate or sell organs
9/03/98: Common Sense vs. Experts
8/26/98: Mother Nature's unfairness
8/24/98: The pretense of superiority
8/13/98: Yours or mine?
8/05/98: I do my job well, so that means I can....
7/29/98: Education production