JS>I agree Mike. Believe it or not, the affair between Kaiser Wilhelm Von
JS>Klinton and the nymphette Monica Lewinsky is actually a matter between Von
JS>Klinton and Brunhillary.
RP>Adultery is a criminal act, a fact our society has chosen to ignore.
 
     It could be classified as an immoral act depending upon one's
individual morals, and it may still, in some states, even be an illegal
act, depending upon local statues, but to universally define adultry as
a criminal act, of and by itself, may not be entirely accurate.
     I will agree with you that as President of the United States, a
position of enormous trust that ought require the highest standard of
personal integrity, his personal behavior is a travesty and a
direlection of the responsibility of any leader to lead by example.
I am also deeply disturbed that by what appears to be an overwhelming
majority, the American people are undisturbed by such conduct by their
President, but these acts alone, while unacceptable by any measure, are
not in and of themselves crimes.  
     Please, this is not intended to be a defense of Clinton's conduct,
and I am under the personal impression that the allegations of actual
crimes, perjury, subordination of perjury, and obstruction of justice
are, in fact, well founded.  Yet, as an individual, Clinton has a right
to live his personal life as he chooses.  While I feel his personal
choices demonstrate a character that make him unfit to serve as
President fo the United States, these choices alone do not make him a
criminal.  It is the deeper violations of trust, the law, ethics,
justice, and virtually ever other imaginable standard we ourselves must
live by that are what call for his immediate resignation as President
of the United States.
RP>Exactly!  Therefore, his dalliances are of extreme importance and not t
RP>be shrugged off the way we see being done by so many.  The impact of hi
RP>devaluation of the marriage contract, and the example of his blatant
RP>twisted promiscuity, both uncondemned by popular culture, will be felt
RP>for many years to come as those who feel licensed to follow his lead
RP>live out those lessons in their own lives.  Failure to bring him to
RP>account on those issues will be far more damaging to this society than
RP>most can apparently imagine.
 
     I tend to agree.  While his personal behavior in these sexual
exploits are not, by themselves, impeachable offenses, I would have
expected the press and the public to demand the resignation of a
President who has so violated the public trust and set such an
unacceptable example for others to follow.
     I am, frankly, amazed at the virtual absence of public outcry and
even more amazed at the apparent support his behavior is garnering.  I
do believe, or at least I hope, as the allegations of criminal acts
become more and more clear, this support will quickly errode and people
will come to their senses.
JS>How can one justify the Senior NCOs now languishing in Leavenworth for
JS>behavior that is similar if not identical to that of their CIC?
RP>What can't be justified is failure to hold the CIC to at least the same
RP>standard.
 
      Especially when that CIC attempted to secure, for himself, the
same privilages of protection from civil litigation as active duty
service personnel.  He seems have no problem prosecuting those serving
this nation with honor on one hand, avoiding such service himself in a
time of need one the other, attempting to obtain the privilages for
such serive for himself on yet another, and them declaring himself
exempt from the requirements of honorable service on still another.
      As a Viet-Nam combat veteran myself, who came later to oppose our
involvement in the war after serving with honor as I had pledged to do,
I am repulsed by an individual such as Clinton not by his opposition to
the war in those days of controversy, but by his shallow and self-
serving attempts to manipulate, without honor, institutions of honor
for his entire adult life.
JS>I seriously doubt that Gore would pardon Klinton. For if he did, the GOP
JS>would have a ready made issue for the 2000 campaign.
RP>Agreed.
 
       I wish this were the case.  No matter how long it took, I would
like to see a full accounting, before the law, of the Clintons, but I
fear this will never occur.   If Clinton is forced to resign, and I do
beleive he will resign befoer he could be impeached, I honestly feel
that Gore would grant him the smae broad based pardon that Ford granted
Nixon.
       Catch phrases like "healing the wounds", "beginning the process
of recovery", "putting this behind us", and "getting back to work", all
phrases used to justify the pardon of Nixon, will almost certianly be
used to justify the pardon of Clinton as well.  Democratic spin doctors
and public relations people will also be conducting a massive campaign
of propaganda portraying Clinton as the victim, being subjected to
invasions of his personal life, being targeted by a "right wing
conspiracy", and being intense and unjust investigations while
challenging the evidence against him which will never be given the
opportunity to be presented in an open court.
       We also must consider Gore's position in these investigations
as well.  He is not a babe in the woods and is deeply entangled in the
affairs of the President himself. Allegations of illegal campaign
contributions, involvement in the Filegate affair, and other incidences
both currently before Grand Juries or under active investigation, are
also motivations for Gore to pardon Clinton and thereby discontinue
investigations that could ultimately bring down his own house of cards.
      Ford eventually paid the price for pardoning Nixon by not winning
reelection, and Gore may end up paying that same price if he follows
suit, but I also believe alternative, not granting a pardon and leaving
himself open to potential involvement in the ongoing investigations
into Clinton's criminal acts is even more dangerous for him.
      My own conclusion is that Gore, if Clinton resigns, will almost
certianly give him a broad pardon.
JS>To put the issue at hand in clear focus, and to paraphrase the
JS>Klinton's 92 slogan, "It's the issue of Perjury stupid!"
RP>Not just perjury, but everything that makes up what is called character
RP>The criminal act of perjury is simply one symptom of a character devoid
RP>of virtue.
 
      A personality that has gained great success by virtue of
manipulation, illegal acts, and a total disrespect for ethics and the
law comes to believe he is invincible and above the law itself.  This
appears to be Clinton's attitude.  That attitude, reinforced by decades
of successfully getting away with violations of the law, of ethics, and
of public trust, has now created an individual who holds all these
things in total disregard.  He is the consumate politician. 
 
      Robo-pres...
 
                                           /\/\ike
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