The U.S. Senate examined a motion to dismiss the case against President Clinton Monday as senators ended the day with a closed-door debate, and a vote on whether witnesses are necessary is expected sometime today.

The House prosecutors and White House council had an hour Monday to present their cases in regard to the dismissal motion presented by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) but a dismissal is not very likely, said Patrick James, chairman of political science.

“My feeling is the trial will continue, but it will be very close in the vote for dismissal,” he said. “It is all up in the air.”

If the motion passes, some form of censure will have to be passed, James said.

“Around 70 percent of people approve of his job performance, but Americans are hugely and angrily opposed to him as a person and feel that he should be punished in some way,” he said. “They have to have something to rub in his face.”

Steve Erickson, president of Campus Republicans, said the dismissal would be a big mistake.

“If you are going to remove that chief executive, you need clear and convincing evidence that can solidify support for conviction,” said Erickson, senior in history.

Steffen Schmidt, professor of political science, said in all likelihood the motion to dismiss will fail and the Senate will move to the debate on whether to call witnesses.

“The Democrats do not wish to look as if they want to suppress witnesses, although most of them do not want them,” Schmidt said.

James said the vote could be very close.

“One or two Democrats may vote for witnesses,” he said. “Sadly, I think it will come down to overnight polling, and it will pass with a narrow vote.”

The calling of witnesses is a touchy issue, Schmidt said.

“Witnesses can be beneficial to either side, but the people that I have heard about that may be called will probably not help or hurt Clinton,” Schmidt said. “It is in essence a shot in the dark because I don’t think the witnesses will change their stories for what is in the thousands of pages of depositions and such.”

James said the Republicans have the most to gain.

“They can keep this trial going by showing the public who Monica Lewinsky, Vernon Jordan and Betty Currie are,” he said.

However, Currie is no longer a potential witness. The list includes only Lewinsky, Jordan and Sydney Blumenthal.

Erickson also agreed that the witnesses would benefit the Republicans most.

“I think it will help the Republicans because there is a very interesting contradiction in this whole mess,” he said. “During the house investigation the Democrats and Clinton’s defenders said ‘How can you do this without witnesses?’ Now they don’t want witnesses — what gives?”

Schmidt said calling witnesses could lengthen the trial considerably.

“If they call witnesses, it could possibly be drawn out for weeks or months,” he said. “No matter what, it will not be what everybody wants. People that have always wanted Clinton to be thrown out of office will not get as much questioning as they want, and most Democrats do not want witnesses at all.”

James said it is impossible to predict who will come out on top.

“If nothing new comes out, Clinton will have a smashing victory, and the biggest losers will be the right-wing Republicans, and they will receive a huge and mammoth backlash by the general public.”