A Quick Look At Commentary From Around The Nation
Vice President Al Gore
in a statement from Hawaii
"I am honored to work with this great president on his agenda to the nation, and I believe that it's time to put this matter behind us, once and for all, and move forward with the business of the United States of America."
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Sen. Orrin Hatch
(R-Utah)
"I give him credit for this evening, being willing, taking responsibility and to say the things that he did, but I've got to tell you ... I was really offended when he started to attack Ken Starr at the end. Look, Ken Starr is not to blame for these actions. He's to blame."
Hatch
was overheard saying as he left a television studio in Utah:
"Wasn't that pathetic? I tell you, what a jerk."
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Rep. Richard Gephardt
(D-Mo.)
"I am gratified that the president has given his testimony to the grand jury and his explanation to the American people. I cannot condone the relationship the president has acknowledged and I am very disappointed in his personal conduct. I do, however, respect the responsibility he has taken for his action."
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House Speaker Newt Gingrich
"I think everyone would be best served if they would wait for Judge Starr's report to find out what all the facts are ... my deepest belief is that all of this is part of a much bigger story."
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Jesse Jackson
speaking on CBS this morning
"If Hillary was just a fair-weather wife or a tail-wind wife, she could only handle the inaugurations and the great festival, she would not be much of a wife. But her maturity obligates her through her humiliation and through Bill's sense of embarrassment to keep that family together, not to isolate Chelsea but to insulate her, and now to pick up the pieces."
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"President Clinton's speech to the nation last night has made matters
worse ... President Clinton should voluntarily release to the public the
transcript and video of his testimony so the American people can clearly see what he said - and what remains to be said."
Steve Forbes
former Republican presidential candidate
"President Clinton's speech to the nation last night has made matters
worse ... President Clinton should voluntarily release to the public the
transcript and video of his testimony so the American people can clearly see what he said - and what remains to be said."
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James Carville
former Clinton political consultant.
"The president knows that I love him ... When a guy is down you lend a hand and try to pick him up."
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Abraham Carpenter
Little Rock, Ark.
"I feel like he's only human, you know. What he did was wrong. But if he's gotten it right between himself, his wife and God, I feel it should be over about now."
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Carl Bernstein
journalist
"I thought it was sad ... It showed how the presidency and the president have been diminished by these events, we're in deep uncharted waters, we've never been in before. We don't know how this is going to play out."
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David Kendall
Clinton's lead attorney
"I don't know if the country is happier or if I am happier that yesterday is over."
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Rep. Bill McCollum
(R-Fla.)
"I think this is a very momentous question if the president lied under oath, if he committed perjury. To let him off the hook is something we'd all probably regret down the road in history. How are we going to cope with this? If the president is above the law is he like a king? How can we treat him differently that everyone else? "
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Rahm Emanuel
senior adviser to the president
"He laid claim to what is his private family area and I think one of the things we've got to do as a larger society and socially, is what are the zones between public and private? Where does one leave off and the other begin? And that's something I think the media's going to have to look at."
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Sen. Bob Smith
(R-N.H.)
"President Clinton should get on the helicopter, do the wave and let Al Gore take over."
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Sen. Fred Thompson
(R-Tenn.)
"The current crisis in the White House, which will only increase this
cynicism, is going to require the best of us as leaders and as citizens. We are all going to be faced with some tough choices depending on the facts as they are revealed. There is overwhelming sentiment in this country today to get this matter behind us.
"I share that sentiment -- to stop the international embarrassment, to stop the damage that this matter may be doing to our economy and our national security interests. However, we must remember we can put it behind us only in a manner that is consistent with the rule of law."
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Arsenio Hall
comedian
"But he lied to us. He lied to his wife, who supported him, and to us, who believed in him. He lied. You know, the bottom line ... I'm real disappointed."
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Martha Berry
Hillary Rodham Clinton's spokeswoman
"Clearly, this is not the best day in Mrs. Clinton's life. This is a time that she relies on her strong religious faith. She's committed to her marriage and loves her husband and daughter very much and believes in the president, and her love for him is compassionate and steadfast. She clearly is uncomfortable with her personal life being made so public but is looking forward to going on vacation with her family and having some family time together."
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Paula Jones
"Men like Mr. Clinton do not take responsibility for their conduct because it is the right thing to do. They do it, if at all, because they are forced to. It is very important that Mr. Clinton and other men like him learn that ... there are consequences to taking advantage of other people."
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Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott
(R-Miss.)
"The focus of the independent counsel should now be on the unanswered questions of perjury, subornation of perjury and obstruction of justice. If any of these acts occurred, they are violations of the oath of office and evidence of crimes. The American people have a right to expect the full cooperation of the White House and all of those called to testify. When Judge Starr's report is complete, the Congress will have to review it and decide if any further action is necessary."
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Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
"He has urged all of us to put this behind us and for all of us to do our job and that is what I think I am doing here."
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Sen. Dianne Feinstein
(D-Calif.)
"My faith in the president's credibility has been shattered."
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Rep. Paul McHale
(D-Pa.)
"The president entered into a morally repugnant relationship, he lied under oath and he almost certainly used government resources and employment opportunities to encourage Monica Lewinsky's silence. This is no longer a question of private morality or political popularity. Certainly, we could spare the country a great deal of pain by abandoning the rule of law. That's too high a price. With great sadness, I have concluded that President Clinton should resign or face impeachment."
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Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg
(D-N.J.)
"For the good of the nation, I hope this issue is now behind us and that President Clinton's acknowledgment of wrongdoing and acceptance of personal responsibility will permit us to move on with the business of the country. As the president said, this was inappropriate behavior and an unfortunate lapse of judgment. Now, the Clintons deserve time and privacy to deal with this painful episode for their family so the president can move on to devote his full attention to issues of national and international significance."
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Rep. Henry Hyde
chairman of House Judiciary Committee
(R-Ill.)
"The president's grand jury testimony and televised address have raised renewed speculation about future actions of the Congress and the House Judiciary Committee in particular. If the independent counsel has any substantial and credible information that may constitute grounds for impeachment, he has an explicit statutory duty to send a report to the House. If and when the independent counsel sends such a report, it is reasonable to expect answers to many as yet unanswered questions. It is our constitutional duty to provide a fair, full and independent review of these facts in their proper context. Until then, we simply should not speculate about how the House would proceed."
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Rep. Lee Hamilton
(D-Ind.)
"My impression is that the president will stand very well with the Democrats unless there is additional evidence of misconduct."
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Sen. John Chafee
(R-R.I.)
"It is extremely inappropriate for a person in authority to engage in such behavior with a subordinate. For any person in a leadership position to participate in such activities with an intern demonstrates grievously bad judgment."
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Rep. Martin Frost
chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
(D-Texas)
"The president made it clear last night that what he did was wrong, and he accepted full responsibility. The president should now be allowed to have time in private with his family. I believe that it would be a mistake for Republicans to continue using this matter as a partisan political issue."
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