August 19, 1998
Why He Must Go . . .
By WILLIAM J. BENNETT
Bill Clinton's five-minute address to the American people Monday night was
the most deceptive, shameless and self-pitying speech ever delivered by an
American president. Almost every sentence was dishonest:
"[Kenneth Starr's investigation] has gone on too long, cost too
much and hurt too many innocent people."
This is deceit of a high order. Since January, Mr. Clinton has invoked and
invented every privilege imaginable to slow Mr. Starr's investigation. The
president refused to appear before the grand jury a half-dozen times, until
he was finally forced to do so by the threat of subpoena. His acolytes
declared an unprecedented "war" on an officer of the court and employed
brutal tactics against him. It is Mr. Clinton who, for the past seven months,
has lied to his wife, his daughter, his cabinet and his supporters. He lied
under oath, and he publicly, emphatically and repeatedly lied to the
American people. He encouraged his supporters and aides to defend, and
become complicit in, his lies.
Instead of telling the truth in January and putting an
end to this squalid matter, he allowed his friends and
colleagues to become enmeshed in it and in legal
problems of his own making. They were forced to
testify before the grand jury and incur large legal
bills. Now, at the very moment when Mr. Starr's
investigation has been vindicated and Mr. Clinton
has been revealed as a liar, the president blames
others. In his own brazen way, the president justifies
his lies. "I had real and serious concerns about an
independent counsel investigation," he now
complains. Ken Starr made him do it.
"I was also very concerned about protecting my family. . . . I
intend to reclaim my family life for my family."
Let's be blunt. If Mr. Clinton genuinely cared about "the two people I love
most--my wife and our daughter," he would not be chronically unfaithful to
them. He would not have had oral sex with an intern barely older than his
daughter a few hundred feet from where his family slept. He would not
betray his family's trust time after time. He would not have sent forth his wife
to defend him with preposterous claims of a "vast right-wing conspiracy."
Mr. Clinton's real message is: I will betray my wife and daughter when it's
convenient--and I will hide behind them when it's necessary. And then I will
do it all over again.
"I must take complete responsibility for all my actions, both
public and private. . . . I am solely and completely responsible."
This is the archetype of the modern confession: The president bravely takes
"complete responsibility" for his "wrong" and "mislead[ing]" actions and then
demands that he suffer no consequences. "Our country has been distracted
by this matter for too long, and I take my responsibility for my part in all of
this," the president said. "That is all I can do." Note carefully the last four
words: all I can do. In fact, the president can do much more. He can do the
right thing and resign. But instead, by his actions he now directs us thus: I
lied, misled and shamefully used people--both aides and citizens--to cover
for me. Forget about it. Get over it.
"While my answers were legally accurate, I did not volunteer
information."
We can add this sentence to other famous Clinton evasions, next to what he
said about marijuana ("I didn't inhale"), the draft ("it was simply a fluke I
wasn't called") and his affair with Gennifer Flowers ("The story is just not
true.") Only Bill Clinton could answer "no" when asked if he had an
extramarital sexual affair, then reluctantly admit (because of overwhelming
evidence) that he had oral sex--and still contend that his first answer is true.
He is a chronic, incorrigible liar. As Sen. Bob Kerrey (D., Neb.) put it:
"Clinton's an unusually good liar. Unusually good."
"But [the Lewinsky scandal] is private. . . . It's nobody's
business but ours. Even presidents have private lives."
The Lewinsky scandal cannot be "private" when Mr. Starr's investigation
was expanded because of Attorney General Janet Reno's finding that there
existed credible evidence of criminal wrongdoing by the president. Nor can
it be "private" when the president made an emphatic public denial, sent out
waves of White House aides to defend him, used government employees to
try to destroy the independent counsel, used his allies to destroy the
reputation of women, used his White House lawyers to delay the
investigation, invoked executive privilege, and tacitly encouraged millions of
unwitting Americans to defend him. Nor can the Lewinsky matter be
"private" when the matter involves a squalid sexual relationship between the
president and a young intern in the Oval Office. The Oval Office is always
open for business, the president always under oath, always on duty.
"I ask you to turn away from the spectacle of the past seven
months, to repair the fabric of our national discourse, and to
return our attention to all the challenges and all the promise of
the next American century."
Mr. Clinton has done more than Jerry Springer, Howard Stern or anyone
else to coarsen and debase our national discourse. Thanks to him, parents
of young children must now hit the mute button when the national news is on
television. He has made words like "semen" and "oral sex" part of our
political lexicon. On sexual matters he has done the impossible: given
Hollywood the moral high ground. At the Academy Awards, host Billy
Crystal joked that a lot has changed: "A year ago, the White House was
complaining there was too much sex in Hollywood."
Years ago, Hollywood made a fine movie, "The Last Picture Show," in
which the character Sam the Lion scolds a group of boys for their mean and
gross sexual conduct by calling it "just plain trashy behavior. I've seen a
lifetime of it and I'm tired of putting up with it." A good summary, that--and
a good lesson from Hollywood to Washington.
This corrupt and corrupting president is responsible for all of this and much
more. Now that he has been forced by the evidence to make an angry,
grudging, evasive admission of an "inappropriate" relationship with Ms.
Lewinsky--still having refused to answer any of the important questions--he
simply tells us it's over and time to move on.
But there is only one way we can move on, and that is if Mr. Clinton is
removed from office. He will probably never resign, so that leaves only
impeachment. And he will only be impeached if American citizens become
outraged. Until now, much of the public has decided to suspend judgment,
avert its gaze, minimize what is happening and hope the Clinton scandals will
soon pass, having wrought minimal damage. That has been a flight from
reality and responsibility.
Every American president is an heir of George Washington, father of our
country. President Clinton is a father, too, and his actions, if allowed to go
unpunished, will teach demoralizing lessons to children. In the future,
perjurers will invoke Bill Clinton as their legal father and adulterers will
invoke him as their moral father. It will happen many times. This cannot be
so.
He is a reproach. He must be repudiated.
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