Voices

“Our founding fathers created a system of government of men, not of angels. . . . We need to stop destroying imperfect people at the alter of an unattainable morality. . . . Let us step back from the abyss and let us begin a new politics of respect and fairness and decency.”

--Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, House minority leader

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[Livingston’s decision to resign is a) “surrender to a developing sexual McCarthyism. Are we going to have a new test. Someone who wants to run for public office: ‘Are you now or have you ever been an adulterer?’ ”

--Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York

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“In the final death throws of this Congress, we have debased our powers, we have frayed our fragile basis for bipartisan cooperation, making the impeachment process just one more pathogen in the medical chest of toxic politics.”

--Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon

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“The impeachment resolution is irreparably poisoned by the vindictive partisanship of the House Republican extremists. They trampled basic rules of fairness by denying members the right to vote for censure.”

--Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts

Sourse: Associated Press