Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Clinton's Scandals: Is this corruption the worst ever? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DMaA who wrote (11788)	2/20/1999 2:30:00 AM
From: DD™	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 13994

WASHINGTON POST FRONT PAGE SHOCKER: CLINTON RAPES JUANITA BROADDRICK washingtonpost.com DD

To: DMaA who wrote (11788)	2/20/1999 1:38:00 PM
From: Catfish	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13994

Clinton Vote Shows Need for Term Limits The Detroit News February 19, 1999 Barrett Kalellis Clinton vote shows need for term limits By Barrett Kalellis Cicero would have said it thus: “Quo usque tandem abutere, Clintona, patientia nostra?” How long, Mr. Clinton, will you tax our endurance? Are there to be no limits to your audacious effrontery? Where in the U.S. Senate was the American Cicero, resonating integrity, who challenged fellow legislators and thundered against the heavens, “O tempora, O mores!” With the exception of Henry Hyde, a Ciceronian in spirit but a Man of the House, not a single senator rose to the occasion. With the vote to acquit Clinton from his shameful and criminal behavior while in office — committing perjury and obstructing justice — and the lemming-like rush on the part of some for a feckless censure, our government has failed to uphold the standards set by the Founding Fathers. It was clear that “the fix was in” for the impeachment trial. From day one, “impartial” senators roamed about the corridors, stumbling into microphones and cameras to declare that Bill Clinton's misdeeds did not warrant removal from office. All the while, they prattled about “bipartisanship,” “the dignity of the Senate” and “getting on with the business of America.” But these legislators have debased the legal process and broke their oaths. If Republicans can be faulted for their usual stupidity — for indecisiveness, disunity and being public relations boneheads — the Democratic Party revealed itself to be exactly what it has become in the last 20 years: a party of prostitutes. After voting as a bloc “not guilty” in the Senate, Democrats showed that the only thing that matters is obtaining power to set policy, confiscate wealth and redistribute benefits to special interests. Whatever principles they may have left are sacrificed to gain a partisan advantage. It is one thing to argue your point of view against an opponent's. It is quite another matter to advance arguments for propositions you know to be false. During this long ordeal, how many times have we heard pundits say, “Many of the Democrats are privately admitting that Clinton did lie and obstruct justice, but won't say so publicly.” In other words, they speak out of both sides of their mouths. Are these the kinds of people we want running the government? One reason Clinton survived this debacle, with the help of Democratic panderers and the establishment media, is that he thrives on public apathy and ignorance. With a string of scandals as long as your leg, Clinton apologists have worked overtime spewing out dense smoke screens as defenses. Americans had difficulty making sense of all the scams and shenanigans, and collectively shrugged their shoulders. And unlike Richard Nixon, Clinton doesn't look like a crook. The failure of Independent Counsel Ken Starr to present and resolve all the more serious outstanding charges — Whitewater, Travelgate, Filegate, Chinagate — left Congress with “only Monica” as the grounds for impeachment. This allowed the Clintonoids to whistle past the graveyard of serious corruption and simply denigrate the importance of the sex scandal. And they counted as axiomatic H.L. Mencken's wry observation about a bored and demoralized public: “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.” The outcome of this dreary affair has given everyone a case of the millennium blues. But while the rest of us are filled with weariness, supporters of term limits should be encouraged. The outcome of the impeachment vote provides a powerful argument: If the enticement of lifetime careers in the Senate and Congress had been removed, legislators might have been less inclined to vote for partisan reasons, but for principle and the nation's benefit. The Supreme Court has ruled that it is unconstitutional for the states to set term limits on federal office holders. But that doesn't mean the Constitution can't be amended to do so. The Clinton chronicles have shown the need for limiting the terms of representatives and senators. The presidency is already term-limited. Clinging to power as an occupational perk serves no one's interests but one's own. Just ask Bill Clinton. Barrett Kalellis, a public relations consultant, is a monthly commentator for Michigan Public Radio. Write letters to The Detroit News, Editorial Page, 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, Mich. 48226, or fax us at (313) 222-6417, or send an e-mail to letters@detnews.com Copyright 1999, The Detroit News freerepublic.com