Starr’s Testimony

* Listening to Kenneth Starr on Thursday, something occurred to me. I would find it easier to accept that President Clinton’s transgressions warranted impeachment had there been such a well-funded and and brutally zealous prosecution of another popular two-term president for his failure to remember anything regarding arms for hostages to fund an illegal war.

ERIC FITZGERALD

Topanga

*

One must admit that the main characters in the ongoing Washington saga are not very attractive, but we must remember, with the exception of President Clinton, we didn’t elect any of them to office and place public trust in their position. He has introduced sleaze and recklessness to his office and should be accountable.

LARRY ZINI

Camarillo

*

Which is the greater sin? The president having an adulterous affair with a young woman and then telling a grand jury that it never happened in order to avoid political damage, personal embarrassment and preserve his marriage?

Or the independent counsel going on a partisan crusade to unseat the president, who was elected to two terms by the American people, and then telling the House Judiciary Committee that his inquiry was all about abuse of power, perjury and obstruction of justice? A couple of weeks ago the American people answered this question and the Republican leadership has apparently chosen to ignore it. That’s the biggest sin of all.

JOHN JOHNSON

Calabasas

*

Someone should market Starr’s voice as a sleep aid!

BOB EMBICK

Laguna Niguel

*

Jonathan Turley may be a professor of public interest law, but he’s no psychologist. Where does he get off saying President Clinton feels no shame (Commentary, Nov. 19)? He has been humiliated beyond measure over one dumb indiscretion (which, in the big picture of his job, is about as serious as office workers making personal phone calls on company time--it isn’t the sex, it’s the lying), and he’ll probably regret his mistake for the rest of his life.

It’s a measure of this country’s immaturity that remorse is not recognized as such unless there’s a big dramatic show of it: tears, suicide threats and all.

KEVIN DAWSON

Sunland

*

Contrary to many of your readers’ opinions (letters, Nov. 19), “dirty politics” did not create Starr. A dirty president created the need for a Kenneth Starr. Many fail to understand that Starr is simply investigating the illegal actions of Clinton. The only person guilty of promoting Clinton’s political destruction is Clinton himself. Nobody forced him to lie under oath, commit adultery, obstruct justice or become involved in an illegal land deal.

If people really want to see Starr and the impeachment proceedings go away, then I suggest we stop electing officials who practice dirty politics and who are liars.

RODNEY GUYTON

Torrance

*

After five years and $40-million- plus, it would be fair to paraphrase Voltaire on people’s need for a god: “Starr’s need for a crime is so great, if one did not exist, one would have to be created.”

DANA BAILEY

Thousand Oaks