Clinton Impeached

Ten years ago today, President William Jefferson Clinton was impeached. Following extended debate, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice.
From the sexual harassment lawsuit by Paula Jones, White House intern Monica Lewinsky was subpoenaed. In response Lewinsky filed an an affidavit in which she denied ever having had a sexual relationship with the President. The next week Linda Tripp approached the office of Kenneth Starr, and offered tapes proving Lewinsky had committed perjury, these tapes included admissions of sexual relationship.
When the story broke to the public the President offered a statement on the matter, making the now famous lie...

"I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky."

In July negotiations between Lewinsky and Starr yielded a full-immunity agreement covering both Lewinsky and her parents. Boxed in, President Clinton was forced acknowledged to prosecutors from the office of the independent counsel that he had had an extramarital affair with Ms. Lewinsky. After the admission Clinton gave a four-minute national address in which he admitted he had engaged in a relationship with Lewinsky. Within this admission Clinton suggested that, by parsing words, that getting a blow-job in the Oval Office does not constitute having sex. Clinton finished by expressing regret for having misled (misled? its called a lie) the public and his family.
On September 9, Kenneth Starr submitted a report with supporting documents to the House of Representatives. The Starr Report outlined a case for impeachment of Clinton on 11 points, these included perjury, obstruction of justice, and witness-tampering.

• On October 8, the House authorized an impeachment inquiry.
• On December 11, the House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment.
• On December 19, the House impeached Clinton.
• On February 12, the Senate voted on whether to remove Clinton from office. The president was acquitted on both articles of impeachment. Conviction, requiring a two-thirds majority, failed to achieve a majority. On the charge of perjury, 45 Democrats and 10 Republicans voted not guilty. On the charge of obstruction of justice the Senate was split 50-50.

Clinton said he was "profoundly sorry" for what he put the nation through. But what I remember is the gathering they had on the White House lawn happily posing for pictures, and proudly having beaten back the right wing conspiracy. Many held the opinion that these sexual encounters were a private issue and normally I would agree, but the voters in the Senate ignored some simple truths. Clinton, to avoid public embarrassment, and possible loss in an active sexual harassment lawsuit, obstructed justice. In doing so the Senate ignored that Clinton had intentionally taken action to destroy the rights of Paula Jones. Clinton reportedly has a appealing personality coupled with a penchant for being dishonest. I've known many men like this in my life, completely willing to cheat on their wives, completely willing to risk the family security. Men like this, in normal life, without the protection of or shroud of public service, are often crippled from getting their asses kicked, ending up alone and lonely. Let's hope is wife gets to see him punished for being the lying shit that he is.
During the last election we heard much about wanting to rid ourselves of the current administration and all of its philosophies. Have we already forgotten the same feeling during the Gore-Bush race? Gore could have won, but he had a philandering pig hung about his neck. People wanted change then too.