It is clear: This country has gone blind from too much sex. President Bill Clinton has finally testified before both a grand jury and the nation on his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. However, the news the nation has been waiting to hear is far from over. The president can still be impeached, although it is very unclear as to what offense will constitute “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Prior to Clinton’s testimony, Lewinsky testified, and both have stated no one was told to lie. Clinton is telling the country to get out of his bedroom. What happened is private and is now a family matter. But not enough people are listening.
It is appalling that such a media circus as that surrounding the current presidential sexcapade supersedes all other priorities. By all accounts, there is no question that sex is foremost on far too many people’s minds. No terrorist attack, worker’s strike or failing foreign economy is enough of an issue to match the Clinton controversy. Even Clinton’s accomplishments, most notably a balanced budget, are being reduced to rubble. Trips to China and Africa are interpreted as cover-ups while the president was really preparing himself for the personal assault. It is truly sad that national and international affairs would be so dwarfed by the Clinton/Lewinsky liaison. Indications are that much of this country suffers from a serious tabloid mentality.
Independent counsel Kenneth Starr can still call witnesses, including the president and Lewinsky. He is expected to call in Deputy White House counsel Bruce Lindsey, a key Clinton advisor and long time friend. What Starr will now do is hunt for “substantial and credible information” that could lay the groundwork for impeachment. Starr’s report will first go to house Speaker Newt Gingrich, then to the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill. The report will be ignored or become slated as preliminary review. The panel votes, and then the report moves on to the Senate, where it must be passed by two-thirds vote. If the senate reaches a “resolution of inquiry,” impeachment proceedings will be initiated.
Starr must also submit a second report to the three-judge panel that appointed him. This report will be a full account of Starr’s investigation. While the panel decides if the report goes public, through inevitable leaks, it undoubtedly will. Starr’s investigation will become a major focus. Chief Justice William Rehnquist will be the presiding judge in any impeachment hearings. So between Starr’s report to the House and Senate and all panels and judges in between, the media will voraciously be waiting at every corner, hungry for a tip or leak.
Religious leaders clamor about sin. Moralists fall in behind, calling the president a lustful liar who has failed to lead the public toward moral perfection. The democrats fear for Vice President Al Gore’s chances for the 2000 election. Republicans couldn’t be happier, despite their own riddled and jaded histories. Meanwhile, important work by the president, Congress and the media is not getting done. Clinton was cleared on Whitewater and Paula Jones. He confessed his transgressions to the public, although many don’t feel it was enough. Isn’t it time to move on to more important issues, like world starvation, Third-World economic collapse, and the fight against terrorism?