How Clinton can avoid impeachment
By Dick Morris
The time for evasions, arrogance, continued
perjury, and denial are over for President Clinton,
unless he chooses to go down in history with
Andrew Johnson as one of only two presidents to
have been impeached.
Obviously, there are not the votes in the Senate to
oust Clinton from office. So the Republican House
leadership appears bent on voting impeachment as
a more draconian form of censure, not the first step
in removing Clinton. The impeachment vote will
really be the last step in condemning him.
But impeachment, per se, even if followed by
removal from office, is a stain that history will not
eradicate. It would besmirch Clinton's otherwise
bright record of achievements that will constitute
his legacy. No longer will he primarily be seen as
the president who solved America's major problems
by balancing the budget, cutting welfare, reducing
crime and healing national divisions. Instead, he
will be lumped with Johnson, Richard M. Nixon and
Warren G. Harding as one of our disgraced
presidents.
The irony is that the House does not want to
impeach Clinton. It wants to censure and fine him.
But the House leadership will not permit a censure
vote unless impeachment fails first, and might not
even allow one then. This procedural constraint
combines with outrage at the president's latest
perjury - to create a momentum for impeachment
that will likely lead to a House majority.
The only way for Clinton to stop impeachment is to
rise above his lawyers and address America directly
- from the House floor if possible or from the Oval
Office if not. He must frankly admit that he did,
indeed, commit perjury and lie under oath. He
should cite his embarrassment at his conduct, his
unease in talking about it, and his desire to protect
his family. As for the reason for his conduct, he
should end the ridiculous evasions and quibbles
over words and come out frankly and tell the truth.
If his statement is clear and direct and not couched
in self-defensive word games, it will move the
Republican moderates against impeachment. He
must take care that he does not include his usual
attack on Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and
that he shows appropriate contrition and
repentance. He should indicate his willingness to
pay a fine and accept censure, but he should say
that "I want to continue to serve as your president."
A speech of this sort will allow the public to get past
the issue of his indefensible conduct and focus on
the fact that nearly 70 percent of Americans believe
he is doing a good job.
Will this statement subject him to possible
indictment when he leaves office? Yes it will, and
that's a chance he's got to be willing to take. In all
likelihood, nobody will indict him and no jury will
convict him. Indeed, the next president, Republican
or Democrat, will likely pardon him if it comes to
that. Clinton needs to win one fight at a time. Right
now, he has to stop his name from going down in
history as the second president to be impeached.
He can worry about the rest of the problems later.
Clinton has been horribly served by his lawyers and
those who advise a hard line. It was their advice
that led him to reject the settlement Paula Jones
offered, which would have avoided this entire
situation. It was their advice that led to his terrible
speech in August which solved nothing. It was their
advice that led to his continued mincing of words in
front of the grand jury, and it was their advice that
led him to give answers to Judiciary Chairman
Henry Hyde's (R-Ill.) questions which only inflamed
the GOP further.
Now it's time to tell the lawyers to get lost and to
speak directly to the people in plain, unambiguous
English about what he said and what he did.
There is no election for two more years. The public
cannot save Clinton from impeachment. To believe
that the GOP hotheads care what voters think is to
misread their motivation. As they have proved for
years, they take a perverse joy in doing what their
constituents don't want. That's why they lost in 1996,
1998 and will lose again in 2000.
But the same imperviousness to public opinion that
led them to shut down the government twice will
lead to a vote for impeachment unless Clinton
persuades the moderates to break ranks through a
frank and full confession to the voters. This is not
the time to wallow in denial or legalisms. It's time
to face the truth - and the music - frankly and
courageously. It's time to take your medicine, Mr.
President.
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Dick Morris is a former political consultant to
President Clinton, Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and
other political figures. |
