If it doesn't fit what is provided by the constitution, yes, he is getting away with it....
The Constitution makes no specific provision in this respect. The operative phrase, "high crimes and misdemeanors," is deliberately vague, like so many others in the Constitution ("unreasonable search and seizure", for example). In this case, that means it's up to our Representatives (and indirectly, to us citizens) to decide. Historically, we have been reluctant to impeach; nonetheless, ultimately, it is a value judgment we are making.
Personally, I am more worried about the abuse of the legal system for political purposes than about Clinton's transgressions. I think censure is about the right punishment: it conveys a permanent stamp of disgrace, but limits the damage to the republic created by the unprecedented litigating of political differences that we have seen. |
