First, as for blaming the messenger: for all your ranting and raving, you can't change the facts: Starr didn't volunteer for this job, it was bestowed upon him by a panel of three judges, and from what I've heard he wasn't overly thrilled about getting the job. The big tobacco lawyer wasn't interested in hanging Clinton out to dry. And, if you've read his report fully, you also know that Starr felt a compulsion to explain specifically and logically the reasons why he had to be so graphic in his report: because Clinton has lied, among other things which I am confident will be proven to be crimes by Clinton, and stonewalled any attempts at getting at the truth (sort of what he's been doing with Whitewater from the beginning, but to a greater extent with the Lewinsky 'affair'). To show the American public that all this is some sort of hairsplitting legal fantasy by Bill Clinton, he was obliged to show, in detail, exactly, what Clinton lied about.

Now, let's examine exactly what it was that Clinton is alleged to have done. He allegedly committed perjury, obstructed justice, suborned perjury among other witnesses, and abused the power of the office. Funny, but it seems to me that that's nearly identical to what Nixon was almost impeached for (and would have been had he not resigned immediately). So what's the difference? One set of lies regarded eavesdropping and other nefarious deeds directed towards the Democratic party, and the other regarded an adulterous affair. That's basically it. So Clinton apparently did the same thing as Nixon for different reasons. Nixon resigned. If Clinton doesn't, it's a crying injustice, and even more so if he isn't then impeached.

Next, consider the censure angle. Some Congressmen are advocating censuring Clinton; my response to that is, exactly what force (i.e., what practical effects) will that have? The only possibility I can see is that in later years, history will record that Clinton was censured. So what? He's already going to go down in history as one of the slimiest Presidents ever. Adding censure won't make it worse. As for effects in the present, it's the equivalent of a slap on the hands.

Finally, consider this, those of you who are supporting Clinton and are parents of young and impressionable children. If Clinton isn't removed from office and doesn't resign, he'll basically get away scot-free with what he has done (and no matter how much you like Clinton, you can't deny that he flat-out lied to the American people and then took it back when he was forced to because of his grand jury testimony). That will send a message to America's youth that it's OK to commit adultery, no matter what you say or how blue in the face you become while trying to explain to your kids that it really isn't OK. Sort of a 'Do as I do, not as I say' problem, in reverse.

- The Watcher (I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman!)