To: alan w who wrote (2041 ) 8/19/1998 5:26:00 PM From: Doughboy Read Replies (5) | Respond to
I guess I'm out-numbered here. To answer several posters' arguments, no I don't believe that polling should govern what we do. But what you seem to forget is that this is a political process, not a legal one. The Congress is ultimately the judge and jury in this case, and they're running around with brown stains in their pants because of the polling data. They cannot fight the President until they get the approval ratings down into the 30s or 40s, and that's not likely. It's like trying to declaw a bear that hasn't been properly tranquilized. They're asking for trouble. Recall that Ollie North took the Congress to the cleaners because (even though he was CONVICTED OF LYING TO CONGRESS), he won in the court of public opinion. No, Congress wants nothing to do with an impeachment hearing--not now, not ever. It'll drive them all into the muck for two years, and it'll cause a feeding frenzy of press inquiries into their own private lives. Also, Congress is at a huge disadvantage here. They cannot spin as well as the White House because they cannot release the info about the grand jury testimony. All you'll get is a constant harangue by the President's people about this fishing expedition, waste of taxpayer expense, etc. etc. and the GOP will not be able to respond. Good luck. I look foward to having Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress to implement the President's plans.
