A sad state of affairs in Washington

The events of the past few days concerning the alleged affair between President Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinski may very well shake the presidency to its knees.

It’s titillating, salacious fare and that’s why the public is so drawn to it. A sex scandal in the highest office in the land? Hollywood writers couldn’t have written a better story.

There’s a larger question in this script though: Should Clinton’s personal life reflect his abilities as president?

If he has to lie about his personal life in court, then yes it does. Clinton’s previous alleged affairs didn’t affect his job, but they did reflect on his character. Those who voted for him in the 1992 and 1996 elections apparently thought that his past personal life wouldn’t have a bearing on his presidency.

The fact in this scandal isn’t whether or not Clinton had an affair. One can argue whether his past behavior affects his current or even future actions. There’s a more sobering aspect to this story that does merit attention.

If he really did lie about his relationship with Ms. Lewinski, he is guilty of perjury. If he persuaded Lewinski to lie about the affair as well, he is guilty of obstruction of justice.

No man in this country is above the law, not even the president. We saw that almost 25 years ago with Watergate. If the President of the United States lied under oath, he is no more or no less guilty than any other regular citizen who committed the same act.

If it is indeed true, then Clinton should resign or face impeachment. It is difficult to mention the leader of the free world and impeachment in the same sentence, but there it is.

Some say this is an attempt to smear the president yet again. This is simply not true. Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr received special permission from a panel of three federal judges to extend his investigation to Lewinski. The judges would not have granted permission to Starr if they thought he would try to bring the president down.

Even the Republicans do not want to be associated with unleashing this legal torrent. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (the president’s chief political opponent) said “we should move slowly and carefully.”

Yes, it is true that adultery is not a criminal offense. No one said it was. Accusations still surround the Kennedy White House concerning his amorous leaning, yet some say he was one of our greatest presidents.

However, when a person lies under oath about his/her affairs, if it is true, he/she should be afforded the same penalty of the law as anyone else. In this situation we should ask for no less.

The next question we should ask now is: Did those past alleged affairs really affect the Clinton presidency? They just might have.

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Leave his libido alone

President Clinton’s done it again.

He’s gotten himself into all kinds of trouble with his latest sex scandal, this one involving a then 21-year-old intern name Monica Lewinsky.

On tape, Lewinsky said she had an affair with Clinton and was encouraged by him to lie about it. Clinton said he didn’t do it, and then Lewinsky said it didn’t happen

Then she said she might plead the fifth, and now she said she’ll “tell all” if granted immunity.

No one except Clinton and Lewinsky knows what really happened, and no one may ever know the truth.

But you know what? It doesn’t matter! Clinton’s extramarital activities are (or at least should be) unrelated to his presidency.

If Clinton did in fact sleep with Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers or anyone else, for that matter, besides his wife, then he’s a poor example for our country and should be thrown out on his behind by Hillary.

But that has nothing to do with the way he governs our nation, unless Clinton is unable to accomplish anything for the remainder of his term because of the attention on the scandal.

Character is an important issue, but in politics, like anywhere else, a flawless moral fiber is not essential to being effective. Look at other esteemed and successful presidents who did their jobs in spite of their questionable morality.

George Washington, our first president and standard for subsequent leaders, “allegedly had several illegitimate children,” according to The Des Moines Register. Thomas Jefferson supposedly had two longtime mistresses.

John F. Kennedy reportedly had numerous lady friends other than his wife. James Garfield, Warden Harding, Dwight Eisenhower, even Franklin Roosevelt allegedly had affairs, in and out of office.

So did these morality lapses negatively affect any of their presidencies or hurt the country? Of course not. Although what these men did was despicable, their actions had nothing to do with their office.

If President Clinton lied under oath, that’s another thing. If that actually happened, he should, and will, be punished.

But as for his sex life, let’s stay out of it.