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What's next for Clinton, Congress
February 12, 1999 WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, February 12) -- Now that the Senate has acquitted President Bill Clinton of charges he committed perjury and obstructed justice, what happens next?
After the acquittal votes Friday, Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) objected to a move by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and 38 co-sponsors to censure the president. Gramm had said he would fight a censure resolution, calling the measure unconstitutional. Censure supporters tried to circumvent Gramm's objection, but failed to muster the 67 votes needed to prevent Feinstein's motion from being tabled. Other Republicans have complained that censure is simply political cover for Democrats who want to support the president without appearing to condone his behavior in the Monica Lewinsky affair. "It won't happen," said Sen. Don Nickles (R-Oklahoma). "It shouldn't happen." "The problem with the censure resolution right now is that, I think, the Senate is tired," said Lott. "We've done what we were required to do under the Constitution."
While the idea of censure has been debated inside and outside the House and Senate for months, support for an official rebuke of the president waned in recent days. Now, any renewed attempt to censure the president will have to wait until after the Senate returns from its President's Day recess on February 22. Some analysts worry the break will stifle whatever momentum a censure resolution still enjoys. Nevertheless, Feinstein told reporters Friday she may still attempt to bring up the resolution later. "I feel it's the right thing to do," she said. Feinstein, who had been working for weeks on drafts of a resolution, said earlier censure supporters may simply pass the proposal around among other senators to be signed and released as a statement. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut) said Thursday the senators may look to create a "declaration of censure" that could be entered into the Congressional Record but not voted on, or be sent to the president, or both. Any senator would be able to sign on to the "declaration of censure." On Friday, the proposed censure resolution was entered into the Congressional Record along with statements in support from some of its sponsors. Another option would be to try and attach a statement of censure to other legislation.
Some senators, though, have promised to continue to prevent a formal censure resolution from ever coming to the floor of the Senate. Despite his acquittal, Clinton may not be out of the legal woods yet. The New York Times has reported that Independent Counsel Ken Starr was considering seeking a grand jury indictment of the president. The Times story, quoting Starr associates, said that Starr had concluded that he had the constitutional authority to indict a sitting president. If Starr seeks an indictment of Clinton, it is certain to provoke a major constitutional clash and generate opposition even from the president's critics. One example: Robert Bork, the highly regarded conservative legal authority, wrote a legal opinion in 1973 while he was solicitor general that said a president could not be indicted while in office. Bork still holds that view. And Rep. Henry Hyde, who led the House prosecution team, said Friday following the votes that he does not support indicting the president in a criminal court. "I don't think indicting and criminally trying him after what we have all been through is going to be helpful to the country," Hyde said.
White House officials privately say that Starr would be risking a severe public backlash by prosecuting the president at this juncture on the same charges that he brought to Congress for an impeachment proceeding. Clinton's poll numbers are still at record levels. A CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll taken February 9 showed that Clinton's job approval rating, now at 70 percent, exceeds even former President Ronald Reagan's highest approval rating. But the survey also indicated that 57 percent of Americans want Clinton censured. So it remains to be seen whether Clinton's approval rating will remain high if his only punishment ends up being a strongly worded letter from the Senate. But whether senators ever vote to censure Clinton, Congress is likely to get back to work on its public policy agenda, which has taken a back seat to the impeachment debate for nearly six months. As the Senate debated his fate Tuesday, Clinton traveled to western Virginia for a private meeting with House Democrats at their annual retreat. According to participants, Clinton urged House Democrats to engage the Republican majority and committed himself to helping Democrats win back the House in 2000. "He said he was fully committed to doing everything he could to make sure (House Minority Leader Dick) Gephardt's decision (not to run for president) is rewarded with Gephardt becoming speaker," said one participant who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Newly elected House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) has also offered to meet with Clinton and discuss where the House goes from here. "If we're going to do anything at all and be productive, then we have to work with the president," Hastert (R-Illinois) told CNN. "That's what the American people, I think, expect us to do." After the vote many Republican senators also expressed willingness to work with the president. "We're going to move forward legislatively and if he (Clinton) will join us, that'll be fine ... We're going to do the best we can for the people of this country to address the issues they're concerned about," Senate Majority Leader Lott said. The highly partisan impeachment debate may be succeeded by an awkward period of cooperation as both side try to mend political fences and position themselves for the 2000 elections. CNN's Caroline Nolan and The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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MORE STORIES:Friday, February 12, 1999
• How the senators voted on impeachment • What's next for Clinton, Congress • Politicians react to Clinton verdict • Clinton apologizes to nation • Transcript: President Clinton comments on end of Senate trial • Clinton's evolving apology for the Lewinsky affair • A reverent tone inside the Senate chamber • Evening newspapers get Clinton scoop • Text of Clinton e-mail sent to White House staff • Weary nation welcomes the trial's end • Bush sends video to Iowa activists • Rehnquist returns to Supreme Court • In history's annals, where will we find Monica? • Linda Tripp says she would do it again • Student: The New Yorker stole Monica Lisa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
