Bill
Clinton Opens a Liar's Library
by Robert Yoho, Columnist and Senior Editor
"Eye on Conservatism"
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The
same week he opened his presidential library, former President Bill Clinton
(right, with 3 other living presidents) sat down for an oft-contentious interview
with ABC News anchor Peter Jennings. During the interview, Clinton reminded
us of the lies, arrogance, and utter contempt for our nation's highest office
that he routinely exhibited during his administration. When Jennings discussed
the rankings of presidential historians who rated him beneath Richard Nixon
in moral authority, Clinton went ballistic.
"And still, [there's] not any example of where I ever disgraced this country publicly. I made a terrible public-personal mistake, but I paid for it, many times over," Clinton said. "And in spite of it all, you don't have any example where I ever lied to the American people about my job, where I ever let the American people down."
From news commentators to the average man on the street, the mantra has been that Clinton's impeachment was "all about sex." With the opening of the Clinton "Lie-brary," it is important to finally set the record straight.
Unlike the Nixon presidential library, that did not gloss over the facts of Watergate and the president's resignation from office, Clinton has chosen to spin the facts of his own scandal. So let's be absolutely clear about what the man really did. William Jefferson Clinton was never impeached because of sex!
I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. However, the following is a layman's explanation of the facts of the case, as I understand them:
Paula Jones took the president to court, accusing him of sexual harassment for an incident that took place before he came to Washington. During the course of his testimony, Clinton lied under oath about engaging in oral sex with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. The Paula Jones' legal team already knew about these allegations of Clinton's involvement. Therefore, they thought Clinton's admission that he had sexual relations with a subordinate would establish a pattern of the activity for which Clinton was being tried.
As a lawyer, Bill Clinton also figured this connection would be confirmed by a truthful admission of his affair with Lewinsky. So Clinton lied under oath. In short, he committed perjury. But not only did he perjure himself, Clinton persuaded Lewinsky to lie about their affair in her signed affidavit. It wasn't enough that Clinton perjured himself; he asked Monica to perjure herself also. As an officer of the court, the president was then guilty of suborning perjury.
In the end, it turned out that Paula Jones had no case. She could not prove that her civil rights had indeed been violated because she could not show any measurable damage to her career as a result of her refusal to submit. Jones never saw her pay cut; she never lost her job as a result of his actions. Therefore, Clinton's acknowledgement of an affair with Lewinsky would ultimately have had no impact whatsoever on the verdict.
Not only did Clinton not have to perjure himself, he could have openly bragged about the affair in court. It would not have altered the verdict, nor would he have seen his law license suspended. Moreover, had Clinton given honest testimony in the courtroom, then it is unlikely that Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr would have been anything other than another name on a long list of special prosecutors. Further, the United States House of Representatives would never have brought the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate.
Clinton was impeached because he was a president and an officer of the court, who violated a couple of sacred oaths in the course of a trial. It is that simple. He was not impeached because of sex.
As a president, Clinton swore to uphold the Constitution. As a lawyer, he took an oath to uphold the law. As a husband, he made a vow to be faithful. Bill Clinton broke every one of those promises. He let down his family, he failed his profession, and he betrayed his nation.
In this country, we talk a lot about democracy. However, the one thing that makes this country so special is the fact we rarely let the process snatch away the rights of a single individual. When President Clinton, the most powerful man in this country, actively sought to deny the right to a fair trial to one of its least powerful citizens, then he was guilty of one of the most egregious crimes that can be committed in this country. And for a president of the United States, his actions definitely met the standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.
Did Clinton disgrace the country publicly? Of course he did! Did President Clinton lie about his job? You bet he did! Did he let the American people down? There is no question!
Bill Clinton may open his presidential library. He may alter the facts or even
pretend the past never happened. However, he cannot rewrite history. President
William Jefferson Clinton was impeached, and despite his best efforts, he has
nobody to blame but himself. ***
© 2004 Robert Yoho
COPYRIGHT © 2004 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN. All writers retain rights to their work.
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