Clinton and Whitewater

My, my, my . . . the jackals are out in force these days, aren’t they. The March 8 Column Right by Cal Thomas is one of the most shrill, unchristian, venomous diatribes I’ve read so far about Whitewater. It is so clear to me that the Republicans are orchestrating their attacks, upping the volume several notches at a time.

They are attacking Hillary Clinton. They are comparing this to Watergate. They are freely and recklessly using the buzzwords of impeachment , cover-up , etc. They have all but stopped using the word alleged in any context. And they have totally forgotten that neither the President nor First Lady has been accused of any wrongdoing whatsoever!

I don’t care what Cal Thomas or any other Republican shill says, Whitewater is not Watergate or Iran-Contra. Those two sorry episodes were deliberate subversions of the Constitution. I defy anyone to make that fact adhere to Whitewater.

I can only hope that we as Americans see through this episode and see just what the Republicans are up to and how vile they are as a party, how irrelevant they are as a party and how they care only to get themselves back into power. I hope they’ll have a modicum of decency and apologize when the Clintons are totally exonerated by special counsel Robert B. Fiske Jr. And I hope the American people will hold them accountable for the damage they’ve done to the country, and see them for what they are: cowards, blowhards, hypocrites and bullies.

BOB WITKOWSKI

Los Angeles

What a pathetic sight to see the President having to defend his wife for alleged unethical actions (March 8). It was even more pathetic to see the First Lady having to defend her husband (in the past) for his many errors in judgment and indiscretions.

The President promised when taking office that during his tenure as President, if there was even a hint of unethical behavior on the part of any member of his Administration, an immediate expulsion would result. The way things are going the entire Clinton staff (including the President and First Lady) should be replaced as soon as possible.

MARY J. MONK

San Clemente

The voters elected Bill Clinton because they wanted a change. In the past year Clinton has proved to be a hard-working, intelligent, reasonable President. Yet, rather than work with Clinton, the Republicans spend their total time and energy using every ploy in their “dirty tricks” book in all all-out effort to destroy him. Certainly by now most people realize that Clinton has given the country the leadership which was totally lacking in the Republican “do-nothing” Bush years.

If the Republicans had a love for their country equal to that of their love of political power, they would work with Clinton to help solve the country’s problems. But it’s obvious that for political reasons they have no qualms about extending the gridlock of the Bush years to the present.

I think it’s time that they should quit making damn fools of themselves and sit down and shut up--and let Clinton move the country ahead.

JAMES R. GALLAGHER

Huntington Beach

Will Whitewater-gate result in another failed presidency?

I think that in the future, history will look back on the period between 1981 and 1996 as the eight years of the successful Reagan presidency and the eight years of the failed policies and leadership of Clinton/Bush.

RON YORKE

Reseda

Whitewater is not the same as Watergate or Iran-Contra. Watergate involved treating the other party as the enemy, rather than the loyal opposition. Nixon’s problem was greed for power.

Iran-Contra involved a President violating his oath of office by which he swore to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Reagan’s problem was that he raised ideology above the law.

Assuming the worst, which we do not know, Whitewater would involve nothing more than old-fashioned greed. Not “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

JAMES D. THOMAS

Apple Valley

I suggest the Clintons hire Neil Bush’s attorneys.

MYRLE McLUCAS

Palm Desert

My, how times have not changed: In 1973, the President said, “I am not a crook.” In 1994, the co-Presidents said, “We are not crooks.” I hope the outcome in 1994 is the same as it was 20 years ago.

K. CHOROMANSKI

Canoga Park