WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, October 1) -- Ross Perot, insisting "we have a leaderless country now," is launching a nationwide petition drive calling for President Bill Clinton's resignation over the Monica Lewinsky affair.

The billionaire and two-time presidential candidate for the Reform Party said Clinton's behavior has disqualified him to serve as president and commander in chief and Clinton should spare the country the pain of impeachment proceedings by resigning.

Ross Perot

"I think it's plain that the president should resign and spare the country the agony of impeachment and removal proceedings," Perot said on CNN's "Larry King Live" Wednesday night. "It's a long, slow process. I think the country would be spared a lot of agony if the president would go on and resign,"

Kicking off his grassroots effort to push the president toward that end, Perot called on veterans, senior citizens, religious leaders, newspapers and parents to organize "the largest petition drive from the grassroots of America in history." He said petition signatures would be collected from now through the November election.

After the petitions are collected in each city, Perot described starting multiple truck convoys across the country to deliver the signatures to Washington in early December.

"And the truck convoy will get longer and longer, and as it approaches Washington it's going to be a big one. Again, we will have a dignified turning-in ceremony and a candlelight vigil in Washington to get the message over that we expect a whole lot more from our president than this man has given us, and that for the sake of our children and for the sake of our country and for the sake of the world, please resign now," Perot said.

Predicting a reversal in the president's high job approval ratings in the polls, Perot said: "You'll see it. Sooner or later the American people will wake up. All they have heard is, 'Let's forgive, let's forgive. The Bible tells us to forgive.' It's the silliest stuff I have ever heard on television. That's why I have finally spoken out."

Perot called the president's behavior "erratic" and insinuated that drug use might be the cause. "We have got to have a strong stable person. Let's look at qualities we like to have: honest, trustworthy and loyal. His brain never got wired in those areas.

"Either he's got mental troubles, or he does something like take drugs to spin him out from time to time," Perot said.

Citing supposed White House links to the Colombian drug cartel and a Russian drug smuggler, Perot said the only way for Clinton to prove he has not used drugs during his public service is to "ask him to make his medical records public."

A White House spokesman earlier dismissed Perot's criticism of Clinton, but there was no immediate reaction to his specific comments.

Thursday, October 1, 1998

• Perot launches grassroots campaign for Clinton's resignation
• Books: Bob Dole get the last laugh
• Farewell to the Mike McCurry show
• Democrats mull alternatives to impeachment
• Espy trial gets underway
• Egypt prints book on Clinton affair
• Labor retooling message to cut through Lewinsky noise
• Cost of Clinton probes exceeds $40M

Election '98
• Former pro wrestler enlivens Minnesota governor's race
• Is California ready for a Democrat as governor?
• Dems accuse GOP of using racism
• Countdown to Election Day

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