Clinton Scandal and Bombings

Whither Bill Clinton now? If the Republicans are smart, and some of them are, they will run from impeachment as quickly as possible. If the Democrats are smart, and some of them are, they will move to impeach as soon as feasible. We now have a lame-duck president who has demolished any semblance of his own moral authority and integrity, and has embroiled his administration in a scandal made all the more severe because, in many respects, it is so absurd (zippergate). In their wildest political dreams, the Republicans couldn’t ask for a better opposition president. In their worst nightmare, the Democrats couldn’t ask for a more damaged Democratic administration with election 2000 looming.

P.S. Advice to Bill--that self-righteous indignation shtick? You now expressing outrage on Monday night because Ken Starr is persecuting you? Give it a rest. All it did was remind us of the last time you looked us in the eye and lied.

D.S. WHITLEY

Fillmore

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The Aug. 20 bombings point out why Clinton should resign immediately. Bombing these terrorists is the right and necessary thing to do; however, the distrust over Clinton’s motives in this demonstrate that he cannot effectively lead this country any longer.

This “wag the dog” discussion should not be taking place, and would not be if we had a president with even a modicum of honesty. This situation is dangerous to the survival of our country. Clinton must go.

JEFF LANE

Anaheim

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Treason. The word does not slip easily from the lips of this American citizen. It implies treachery, disloyalty and subterfuge. I must say that U.S. Sens. Dan Coats (R-Ind.)and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and other Clinton bashers are putting their toes very close to the line of “the T word” in immediately injecting partisan politics into what appears to be a necessary military response to threats of immediate concern to American citizens abroad. I certainly hope they are men enough to go on national TV and apologize to the American people when facts prove Clinton correct. It will be interesting to see how they couch their remarks on a matter far, far more important to U.S. interests than Monica Lewinsky.

MICHAEL SADLER

Toluca Hills

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President Clinton’s greatest crime is that his foolish actions furnished ammunition to lesser men. He has harmed the country to the extent that his enemies have used his transgressions to diminish his presidency. By far, the greatest harm to this country has come from Starr’s politically malevolent investigation and the media’s gleeful wallowing in it.

JERRY BUCK

Sherman Oaks

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Ross K. Baker’s opinion equating the Watergate scandal to the minuscule episode concerning President Clinton’s indiscretion with Monica Lewinsky (Commentary, Aug. 19) has as much validity as comparing the Grenada invasion of the Reagan years to World War II. With victims of terrorist bombings around the world, financial complications of immense proportions worldwide and many unfinished agendas of national importance even in Washington, let’s focus our attention on what matters, and finally forget this.

SEAN F. HOLLAND

Los Angeles

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In a predictable attack on President Nixon (“Scandal Is Not [Clinton’s] Only Legacy,” Aug. 18), Robert Scheer erroneously states that the Watergate and Ellsberg break-ins were undertaken “with the knowledge of Nixon” and repeats the common but unproven allegation that he “personally authorized secret payment of hush money.” Why such exaggeration?

As a radical journalist in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Scheer’s relentless message was that America was on the wrong side in Vietnam. Nixon’s resignation, in a scandal that itself grew out of the war, appeared to vindicate that view. Since Nixon’s death Scheer has actively discouraged a balanced assessment of the Vietnam-Watergate era and a fresh look at how millions of Americans’ apostasy about their country led them to mistake communist aggressors in Hanoi and mass murderers such as Pol Pot for the good guys.

At the time, the left patted itself on the back for helping end an unjust war. A quarter-century later, it is obvious to anyone with open eyes and minds that the antiwar movement was wrong, with devastating consequences for us and for the people of Indochina. History may yet appreciate that behind Nixon’s anger at his critics was a profound sense of obligation to the 540,000 Americans under his command who had been sent to Vietnam by his predecessors to fight for freedom.

JOHN H. TAYLOR

Executive Director

Nixon Library, Yorba Linda

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Monday night I turned off even my PBS TV channel and radio station to avoid hearing more of the nonsense engendered by Clinton’s confession of dalliance. The only bit of sanity in the Tuesday paper is Scheer’s column--and it is surrounded by one of Michael Ramirez’s tasteless cartoons sitting atop it and an Arianna Huffington diatribe dangling below it. I have decided to treat this feeding frenzy in the media as I did the Simpson trials--I refuse to listen, watch or read about it.

MIMI MERRILL

Ridgecrest

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Perhaps in the future, the president should talk to Jesse Jackson before he gets in trouble, not after.

MATTHEW KLIPPER

Hollywood

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Bill, I feel your pain.

BRIAN GLEDHILL

Monrovia

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If consensual sex between consenting adults is legal, lying about it and covering it up must also be legal. While perjury under oath is possible, obstruction of justice is impossible, since no act of justice is required of the legal act.

RUSS CONNORS

Pismo Beach

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In my opinion, the only people who are owed an apology by President Clinton are his family and the Lewinsky family. And they are the only ones who can forgive him.

As far as the American people are concerned, if there is any good that can come out of this event, perhaps it will be that we will all finally stop expecting our elected officials to behave like superheroes and we will accept them for who they are--human beings.

ART VERITY

Van Nuys

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Why are some Americans surprised by the president’s actions? We elected a man with a history of marital infidelity. A man who breaks vows to his beloved wife and recklessly invites shame to his child will surely betray friends, colleagues and the rest of us. We got the president we elected.

MARCIA McCORMACK

Mission Viejo

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We spent 40-plus million dollars looking for something, then got angry when we found it.

DUAINE OSBORNE

La Mirada

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In 10 years we have gone from the Great Communicator to the Great Manipulator. Clinton is selling snake oil again. If even his most loyal supporters can’t see through this latest legalese smoke screen, God help America.

HARRY HENSON

Thousand Oaks

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With the press, the Republicans and Starr so continuously voracious, salacious and rapacious, the people can readily understand the president’s statements.

DICK LITTLESTONE

Pacific Palisades

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Through the first seven months of this year Clinton now admits he lied to the American people, his family and his closest supporters. Many of these individuals sustained great legal expenses because of his actions (grand jury appearances, etc). If Clinton is sincerely sorry for his actions and untruths, he should use part of his defense fund to reimburse these folks for their out-of-pocket expenses, which would surely demonstrate his remorse.

MARY J. MONK

San Clemente

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Re Clinton’s speech--in a word: dishonorable.

JOHN R. SCHNEIDER

Oak View

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Regarding the votes I cast in the last two presidential elections: considering wimpy Bush (who believed that atheists--maybe like Jefferson?--should not be citizens) and boring Dole (who thought tobacco was sorta like milk), I would still go with Clinton, midlife crisis, stains and all.

ROBERT W. LOVELL

Huntington Beach

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All things considered, I would rather be Mrs. Clinton than Mrs. Starr.

SARA BELL DRESCHER

Los Angeles

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If Clinton gets impeached over this issue, can I move to another country and ask for political asylum? This is madness!

STEVEN V. BEHM

Burbank

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If I hear (or read) one more person object to Starr’s investigation of Clinton’s high crimes, misdemeanors and hormones by citing the “$40 million” taxpayer cost, I am going to vomit. If voters were truly cost-conscious we’d have a Libertarian in the White House.

CHUCK ROSE

Temple City

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President Clinton stands head and shoulders above the hard-eyed types who are trying to drag him down. Nevertheless, despite his considerable superficial political adroitness, Clinton will be remembered by history as an oafish bungler because of his stereotyped, beholden-to-power domestic and foreign policies. The real problem is our society that has lost all profundity and all real meaning, spawning the likes of the Clinton/Starr/ media tragicomedy.

KENYON B. De GREENE

Woodland Hills

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President Clinton could have saved us taxpayers a $40-million investigation by admitting his infidelity the first time around. He should be impeached for this alone.

JENNIFER GARRETT

Mission Viejo

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How ironic that the same president who brought us “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military should himself fall victim to that same treacherous quagmire. Just as there has been a tremendous increase in gay and lesbian witch hunts in the military since the policy’s instatement, so Clinton has learned that saying “don’t ask” inevitably leads to more questions and persecution. And clearly, the only viable resort to the “don’t tell” part is to lie and deceive. What a sad statement for America that we are so afraid of honesty regarding human sexuality.

JACK A. JONES

Los Angeles