Impeaching Clinton: It’s National Security Stupid

Instead, the Republican leadership, in their infinite absurdity, concentrated on trivial pursuits in the form of sex, lies, and alleged constitutional violations most Americans just don’t buy.

Imagine if you will a seemingly innocent intern engaged in an "improper" sexual relationship with the most powerful man on earth, the President of the United States. Now imagine if this intern falls prey to foreign or domestic intrigue resulting in threats of blackmail in return for the President acting or withholding certain actions that may endanger US national interests or simply place the presidency at the mercy of a self-serving individual or party.

Based on some of the taped testimonies, it can be discerned that Clinton may have leveraged his office to placate that woman, Ms. Lewinsky, be it a job at the UN, DOD, or the private sector with the help of long-time associate Vernon Jordan. Had Linda Trip not approached the FBI, a process which set in motion the unraveling of the scandal of the century, there is no telling how a Ms. Lewinsky would have leveraged her little secrets with the President. Luckily for us, Lewinsky’s loose lips, so to speak, attracted the wrong, or right, sort of attention.

Democrats and the American people must reconsider their compassion for Clinton. Sure William Jefferson Clinton is a likable and charming fella. But this is not about personality, or economy, this is about sending a clear message to future presidents that reckless endangerment of our national security must not be written off with charm and low unemployment figures. And what was Bill feeling when discussing national security on the phone in the presence of Ms. Lewinsky? Ms. Lewinsky. Not your pain, nor mine.

I watched with amazement as impeachment proceedings in the House devolved into articles of impeachment based on reasoning most Americans have rejected months ago and are not moved by. Yet the Republican leadership’s shortsightedness, aggravated and skewed by the Religious Right, kept on shifting the impeachment debate from things that count to things that don’t.

Who says they don’t? the constantly rising popularity of the president as evident by one poll after another and the Republicans’ unfavorable 98 elections outcome should have left little doubt of the futility of their existing impeachment strategy. It’s national security stupid. That should have been the message all along.

At a time when studies show a significant percentage of married couples have had an extramarital affair, combined with the Republican leadership’s own shattered glass house after Hyde’s youthful indiscretions in his forties and Livingston’s numerous amorous adventures, Clinton’s constant bouts with sex and lies rise only to the level of a personally degrading offense.

When the Founding Fathers contemplated the impetus for impeachment, they clearly were thinking high crimes and misdemeanors. In other words, only offenses which may potentially malign the office of the presidency.

All improper relations that may expose the president and the presidency to the threat of blackmail, not an unlikely scenario, should be considered hazardous to national security and do rise to the level of an impeachable offense.

At this juncture in the game, it will take a concerted effort on behalf of the Republicans to wage an intense media campaign to change the focus of the impeachment strategy. After exhausting their political capital with the American public on the wrong impeachment strategy, it’s unlikely the Republicans can muster the needed resolve to jump tracks at the eleventh hour.

Few moths ago, the Republicans could have told the President "It’s National Security Stupid." Today, one looks at the Republicans in disbelief and says "It Should Have Been National Security, Stupid."