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Jewish World Review / September 3, 1998 / 12 Elul, 5758
Paul Greenberg
IT'S A GREAT GAME, POLITICS, but some of us are less interested in
the convoluted strategies being bruited about among the
pundits, pols and political junkies of all persuasions than in a
few, more basic things. Like truth and justice. Those guides
offer the best way out of this mess -- and the surest way to
avoid messes like this one in the future. For what happens
now won't effect just now.
As in the cases of Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon, this
chronic crisis will be cited as an example and guide for the
future. Bill Clinton isn't just an embattled president; he's a
precedent. We look to Congress to make it a good one -- not
a lingering embarrassment in the history books.
A people should be able to go to its political leaders at such a
time and find more than a poll-tested reflection of its own
still-jelling opinion.
The American people can be remarkably patient with their
presidents. To quote a poll from the past: "In response to
questions on whether Nixon should resign or should be
forced out through impeachment, substantial majorities said
throughout 1973 that he should not. Support for Nixon's
removal grew as the hearings proceeded in 1974 -- but even
then tentatively. In early May 1974, three months before his
resignation, 49 percent of respondents told Gallup
interviewers that the president's actions were not serious
enough 'to warrant his being impeached and removed from
the presidency.' '' -- Everett Carl Ladd in the Wall Street
Journal last April.
Americans still look to their leaders for, well, leadership. In
the meantime, we are not about to be hasty. This president
has been elected and re-elected, and the choice the people
have twice made should not be overturned lightly.
It was the leader of the minority, the shadow speaker of the
House, who spoke with sense and gravity this past week.
What's this, statesmanship from Dick Gephardt -- that
habitual demagogue?
Yes, strangely enough. The sudden appearance of solemn
duty does seem to elevate some men. Among the appropriate
things the honorable Mr. Gephardt said about this latest and
most blatant and extended Clinton scandal:
"It's important to let the facts come out.''
If more politicians spoke in this serious fashion -- instead of
watching the polls and playing games -- we might have a
whole Congress of Henry Hydes and Daniel Patrick
Moynihans, instead of Barney Franks and Newt Gingriches.
If a Dick Gephardt can speak with relevance and
responsibility, why not others? It's always a surprise, isn't it, to
realize how simply following principle can solve our
problems.
Congress rose to the challenge that Richard Nixon's soiled
presidency presented in 1974. Let it do so again in the sordid
matter of William Jefferson Clinton. All that's required is to
seek the truth -- and justice. Do that and all else, including
the politics, will fall into
The politics of impeachment
Have no doubt, the Clinton Precedent will one day shape our
future as it now bedevils our present. Depending on how this
little matter is resolved, it will be cited by presidents hoping to
escape responsibility, or by others insisting on it in the chief
magistrate of the Republic.
9/01/98: The eagle can still soar
8/28/98: Boris Yeltsin's mind: a riddle pickled in an enigma
8/26/98: Clinton agonistes, or: Twisting in the wind
8/25/98: The rise of the English murder
8/24/98: Confess and attack: Slick comes semi-clean
8/19/98: Little Rock perspectives
8/14/98: Department of deja vu
8/12/98: The French would understand
8/10/98: A fable: The Rat in the Corner
8/07/98: Welcome to the roaring 90s
8/06/98: No surprises dept. -- promotion denied
8/03/98: Quotes of and for the week: take your pick
7/29/98: A subpoena for the president:
so what else is
new?
7/27/98: Forget about Bubba, it's time to investigate Reno
7/23/98: Ghosts on the roof, 1998
7/21/98: The new elegance
7/16/98: In defense of manners
7/13/98: Another day, another delay: what's missing from the scandal news
7/9/98:The language-wars continue
7/7/98:The new Detente
7/2/98: Bubba in Beijing: history does occur twice
6/30/98: Hurry back, Mr. President -- to freedom
6/24/98: When Clinton follows Quayle's lead
6/22/98: Independence Day, 2002
6/18/98: Adventures in poli-speke
