WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, December 18) -- After a partisan, daylong debate, the House of Representatives stands ready to impeach President Bill Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky affair, according to the latest CNN survey of House members.

The CNN survey indicates that 219 lawmakers -- one more than needed for a majority -- are either supporting or leaning toward supporting at least one article of impeachment.

The House is due to vote Saturday on four proposed articles of impeachment, charging Clinton with perjury, obstruction of justice and abuse of power as he tried to conceal an illicit sexual affair with Lewinsky.

Despite appeals, Republican leaders showed no sign of permitting a vote on the Democrats' preferred alternative to impeachment: a stern condemnation of the president's behavior.

Republicans, who also brushed aside Democratic objections to debating Clinton's impeachment during U.S.-Iraq hostilities, said the president's case was not about extramarital sex, but lying under oath.

"No one is above the law, not even the president," said Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Connecticut). "I believe perjury does meet at least the definition of high misdemeanor."

Rep. Nancy Johnson

But Democrat James Traficant of Ohio declared, "An impeachable offense should be one that threatens liberty, not chastity." His comment, late in the day, drew applause and laughter from his weary colleagues.

Democrat Zoe Lofgren of California said the country was watching the debate with a sense of sorrow and disbelief. "The country is waiting for grown-ups to walk into this chamber and stop this madness," Lofgren said.

Rep. Henry Hyde, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, opened the debate by saying Clinton betrayed the public trust and rule of law by lying under oath and should be removed from office.

"The question before this House is rather simple," said Hyde, an Illinois Republican. "It's not about sex ... The matter before the House is lying under oath. This is called perjury."

Rep. Henry Hyde

Hyde said perjury and obstruction of justice "cannot be reconciled with the office of the president of the United States ... The people's trust has been betrayed." (416K wav audio file)

He accused Clinton of a "premeditated, deliberate corruption of the nation's system of justice."

But Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Missouri), who appealed to Republicans to allow a vote on censure instead, said it was time to end slash-and-burn, smear politics.

"We can take an important step today back to the politics of respect and trust and fairness and forgiveness," Gephardt said. "All I'm asking for is we get to vote our conscience ... Let fairness reign." (544K wav audio file)

Republicans questioned the constitutionality of censure as a substitute for impeachment. Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas accused Democrats of using it as a "marketing tool" to try convince the public there was a simple, easy way for the House to avoid its constitutional responsibilities.

"I think we should stick to the Constitution," Hutchinson said.

Rep. Asa Hutchinson

Republicans said Clinton's efforts in trying to conceal his affair with Lewinsky, a former White House intern, served to deny justice to Paula Jones.

Rep. George Gekas (R-Pennsylvania) said it all began with Clinton's false answers to written questions put to him in Jones' sexual harassment-employment discrimination case.

"In a single moment ... he began the long chain of falsehoods that have led us to our moment of truth here today," Gekas said.

Rep. Mary Bono (R-California) said if Congress turned a blind eye to Clinton's behavior, the effect would be to also ignore the problem of sexual harassment. Bono called impeachment "the only appropriate remedy."

Democrats argued, though, that impeachment was intended for tyrants and traitors, not for a president trying to conceal an extramarital affair.

"I am witnessing, in the most tragic event of my career in the Congress, in effect, a Republican coup d'etat in process," said Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan).

Rep. Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) called the impeachment proceedings "a travesty," and asked Republicans, "Where is your sense of fairness?"

Rep. Robert Menendez

"A censure would put an indelible scar on the president's place in history," Menendez said. "Monica Lewinsky is not Watergate. Let he who has no sin in this chamber cast the first stone."

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-California) said Clinton was not guilty of what she called the House Judiciary Committee's "trumped-up charges" and warned Republicans that an impeachment would go down in history "as one of the most despicable actions ever taken by the House."

"I dare you to be fair," Waters said.

The House convened to consider whether to impeach Clinton even as the U.S.-British military mission against Iraq continued into a third day. The session -- which broke little new ground -- marked the first time in 130 years the full House has considered the impeachment of a president.

House Democrats tried to block the debate by moving to adjourn in protest.

But Republicans turned back that attempt on a 225-183 vote, setting the stage for the daylong session. Members will reconvene at 9 a.m. ET Saturday.

Clinton could be impeached -- a recommendation by the House that he be tried in the Senate -- on any or all of the four articles of impeachment approved by the House Judiciary Committee last Friday and Saturday.

Clinton faces charges that he committed perjury before a Washington grand jury and in Jones' sexual harassment-employment discrimination lawsuit, obstructed justice and abused the powers of his office. Clinton has admitted the affair with Lewinsky, but denied he committed perjury or obstructed justice.

As they emerged from an early-morning caucus Friday, Democrats again blasted the move to debate impeachment while the Iraq military campaign was under way.

Rep. Martin Frost

Rep. Martin Frost (D-Texas) said if Iraq's Saddam Hussein sees the impeachment debate as a sign of a divided United States, he could resist longer and Republicans could be putting American lives at risk. On the floor, Frost said Republican majority "may well have blood on its hands..."

Some Democrats were also quick to criticize Republican Speaker-elect Bob Livingston in the wake of his surprise admission Thursday that he also has had extramarital affairs.

"The only word that comes to mind is hypocrite," said Rep. Waters.

On the House floor, Democrats booed heartily when Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Illinois), the acting speaker presiding over the impeachment debate, ruled that members could not compare Clinton's behavior to that of sitting members of the House during the debate.

Republicans moved swiftly to reschedule the impeachment debate after a 24-hour delay because of the initial attack on Iraq.

Democrats had pushed unsuccessfully to postpone the proceedings until the combined U.S.-British air campaign against Iraq ends. Gephardt said Thursday it would be wrong to debate removing Clinton, the nation's commander in chief, while U.S. troops are involved in combat. (640K wav audio file)

"We strongly object to this matter coming up tomorrow or the next day or any day in which our young men and women in the military are in harm's way," Gephardt said.

But Livingston said the House must do its constitutional duty and it was time to move forward to get its work on impeachment done by year's end.

"No one wants to deal with impeachment, but it is before us and we must deal with it," Livingston said. (576K wav audio file)

House members had expected to begin debating impeachment Thursday morning until the developments in Iraq put it on hold. At Livingston's request, members remained in Washington, awaiting a decision on the schedule.

Rep. Paul McHale (D-Pennsylvania) declared during the debate he would vote for impeachment. He was one of four Democrats to announce they would vote for impeachment.

An administration spokesman said Clinton met with Connecticut Rep. Chris Shays, an undecided member, to discuss impeachment.

Administration sources also said the president had a list of "several" House members who wanted to speak with him about impeachment, and he planned to call them when his schedule permits. The sources would not identify the lawmakers.

Lott says there will be no deal in Senate

In another development, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said in an interview Thursday with CNN that "there won't be any deal-making" to avoid a Senate trial if the House approves articles of impeachment.

Lott said his reading of the U.S. Constitution and consultations with legal experts have convinced him that a trial is required. "I feel the Senate has to go forward with a trial," Lott said.

That could be a blow to the White House, which has entertained notions of a deal if Clinton loses in the House.

Friday, December 18, 1998

• House poised to impeach Clinton
• Poll: Americans remain opposed to impeachment
• Highlights from the House impeachment debate
• Transcript: House debates articles of impeachment
• Miller won't return to Washington, calls impeachment vote 'foregone conclusion'
• Is censure a constitutional possibility?
• Analysis: Clinton's post-impeachment strategy
• Supporters rally behind Livingston
• Clinton mood said to be 'very good'
• Mrs. Clinton: 'Bring our country together'
• Design by sculptor of Vietnam Women's Memorial selected for coin
• Profile of Speaker-elect Bob Livingston
• Nixon wanted Baker for court seat

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