Clinton's lawyer, Bob Bennett, warned him prior to the Jones deposition: "The only thing you have to worry about is if you lie in there. The crazies will come after you. They'll try to impeach you if you lie."
As far as I can figure out, after all the noise, Clinton apparently never lied about the Jones matter. He denied it from beginning to end and given the amount of resources put into the matter, had there been a scrap of credible evidence, it would have been found out. And in the end, she got a settlement with no admission and no apology.
Clinton lied about Lewinsky.
If I can take a path a little different from the conservative and liberal commentators and stick with the view of a lot of ordinary folk, whether religious or not.
If you are publically accused of adultery, you must deny it. Especially if you are a public figure.
Lying shows you are ashamed of it. This is proper since you broke a personal vow and committed a venial act in the process. Also it can be seen, and is seen, as an effort to protect the spouse from humiliation.
If Bill had said, "Yup, I boffed Monica," he would have been toasted by his more rational supporters since it would be clear he had no shame, and a person with no shame is at least not serious and at most is very dangerous.
He was in a bad spot: Look like he had no shame or commit perjury. Commit a social sin or a legal offence.
Even had he been inclined he couldn't resign - Al Gore would be President.
After the expenditure of millions of private and public money, Clinton's enemies finally set him up and got a gotcha.
In their hubris, his enemies dragged all the sordid details of the affair through the country's highest legislature and in the process degraded its dignity. However pissed off a lot of people might have been with Clinton, they were enraged by or resentful of his enemies' behaviour. High crimes and misdemeanors have to do with treason and other political crimes and nothing to do with committing adultery and lying about it or even perjuring about it.
No matter how much talking heads and others might say, "BUT HE WAS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES," non-partisan folk are going to see that whole pursuit of Clinton and the impeachment as an abuse of process and a trivialization of what ought to be a very serious procedure for dealing with the most important crimes possible. They didn't like it and they still don't like it.
I think Clinton is brilliant, but a flake. He had a huge choice of discreet Washington women who would have enjoyed catching a presidential scalp and instead played around with this not totally glued together girl. Go with the coup counters and not the groupies.
I have no idea if he actually feels any shame.
I tell you who better not be around Washington if Hillary gets to be Prez: Any of the people who were involved in pursuing Bill. She probably figures, correctly, the whole Lewinsky business was aimed just as much at her and I'm damn sure she holds a grudge.
BTW I think the PC and feminist talk about the Monica affair being an abuse of his position is nonsense. He was foolish and indiscreet, but she pursued him. This is how it started:
During the government shutdown, Clinton visits the chief of staff's office for a birthday party. Lewinsky lifts her jacket and shows him the straps of her thong underwear.
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