Fifteen years ago today, President Bill Clinton was impeached by the Republican House Of Representatives on flimsy grounds, and well knowing that there was no possibility of Clinton being removed from office in his impeachment trial in the US Senate.
The major issue was Clinton’s illicit sexual tryst with Monica Lewinsky, but as reprehensible as that was, it was not an impeachable act, a high crime or misdemeanor, and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Majority Leader Bob Livingston, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde were guilty of the same reprehensible behavior.
Clinton survived the impeachment trial, and has recovered very nicely in public opinion ever since, really the most popular former President in modern times while still alive and kicking.
His wife, Hillary Clinton, has had a distinguished career in the Senate and State Department, and is for now the frontrunner for the Presidency in 2016, even if one can see faults and issues in her record, which is par for the course for any Presidential candidate.
Bill Clinton has devoted his life to good deeds through the Clinton Initiative and Clinton Foundation, and like Jimmy Carter, has devoted his post Presidency to commitment to social justice.
Impeachment was a major mistake, and yet now the Republicans in the House are threatening to impeach President Barack Obama, although he has done nothing to deserve such action, and were he to be impeached, again he would not be removed, but it is all based on vindictiveness and hate.
The tin foil hat wearing conservatives thought they had successfully formed a coup towards President Bill Clinton. Of course it also came out during the investigation that Newt Gingrich was having his own extramarital tryst with his secretary. I think Newt lost much more of the public’s respect in the long run….“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone.â€
1998 was memorable. Personally to me as well politically to the country. This scandal dragged on too long that people found themselves tired of it. They basically told the Republicans, in that year’s midterm elections, that they didn’t support their efforts in going after the then-incumbent president for his infidelity. And this cost Newt Gingrich his political career. (Don’t be fooled by 2012: The Republican nomination was always going to go to Mitt Romney. Newt and company had to keep up “appearances.”)
Well stated D.