Impeachment

Watching spin-master Rep. James Rogan (R-Glendale) present his case against the president (Jan. 14) shows that McCarthyism is alive and well on Capitol Hill. Rogan spent hours deconstructing the president’s grand jury testimony into sound bites and then putting his own spin on each aspect of that testimony. As a former prosecutor, Rogan must have delighted in his newfound power to shape and twist testimony after the fact; a power he never had as a real prosecutor in a real case.

RUSS JOHNSON

Garden Grove

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“Principle: a rule or standard, esp. of good behavior.” As the representative for my district, Rogan may lose for taking a stand on principle, but he is already a winner in my book. Those who support the president should refer often to the definition of principle, as a reminder of what they will never see in him.

KENNETH J. ARTINGSTALL

Glendale

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Today (Jan. 14 ) I was proud to be an American as I watched all seven hours of the first day of the impeachment trial. The dignity of all three branches coming together in this historic occasion was unparalleled in my observation.

I will not express my opinion about the case because I do not want to distract from the decorum demonstrated. I would like to ask Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to continue to listen to all the evidence from both sides. Weigh it carefully, then make a decision according to your conscience. If you do that, all Californians will be proud of you, regardless of the verdict.

PERRY HARKER

Lompoc

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The Republicans are being criticized for being partisan. Where are the bipartisan Democrats? They were certainly not on the House Judiciary Committee. They did not contest the allegations in the Starr report but said it did not reach the level of an impeachable offense.

The Democrats’ opinion of an impeachable offense would be selling the 6th Fleet to Saddam Hussein, unless it is a Republican president, in which case overtime parking is sufficient.

GARY A. ROBB

Los Angeles

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The pollsters and pundits who predict that the public will have forgotten this attempt to overturn an election by November of the year 2000 are probably the same ones who predicted big wins for the Republicans last November.

GLENN ELLISON

Costa Mesa

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Like Lawrence McManus (letter, Jan. 14) I have a list of all House representatives who voted for impeachment taped to my refrigerator door. Next election, I will give the list to all my family and friends. We will reward with reelection those who expect a president to honor his oath to uphold the law by obeying the law. Perjury about anything is still perjury.

JAMES DEVORE

Costa Mesa

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The Democrats, judging by your Jan. 15 front-page article, have apparently decided to go the O.J. Simpson jury route, insofar as ignoring all common logic. The agenda is more important than the laws in this case, it would appear.

BARRY COOK

Newhall