Supposedly, David ' Darth Vader ' Kendall will not be presenting any material, but will be in attendence at the Rayburn Building today, as the Whitehouse gets to offer up it's spin ( lies ) to the House Judiciary Committee on the possible impeachment of Bill Clinton. Kendall's vicious arrogance and condescending attitude have hurt the first philanderer's chance to get a fair shake. So, the President will rely on the likes of Greg Craig ( incredible far far left-wing ex-student radical buddy of Bubba ) and Charles Ruff ( just a blind defender of all that is Democrat ).
Henry Hyde makes a short opening statement reaffirming his pledge to wrap up the process before 1999. He outlined the schedule for week: Tuesday = Craig and panels. Wednesday = Ruff and panels. Thursday = Majority and minority committee counsels. Friday = Committee debate on possible articles of impeachment. John Conyers, not able to control his bowel-like mouth, made an opening statement that was akin to a Presidential defense lawyer, and consisted of rationalizations for Clinton's actions. He called the committee " a house of cards ".
How can these Democrats characterize Clinton's lying in a deposition or to a Federal Grand Jury, like policy pledges? Oh well, it just must be me, but PANEL ONE was a replay of the November 9th hearing on " what is impeachable ", plus Greg Craig.
Greg Craig denied everything. He said Clinton's answers were " evasive, incomplete and maddening, not perjury ". He was able to say " sorry " for Clinton ( a word the President seems not to have in his vocabulary ), but announced it was all not impeachable. It was incredible. It was one one of those, ' He didn't do it; but if he did, it isn't impeachable ' things. " There is nothing in the record on the law and the facts, that warrant impeachment ". He got even more pathetic, when he attacked Ken Starr and the process with, " the testimony is editted, modified, or ignored in the referral ". This is a serious charge, and he offered no examples what so ever.
One ex-Attorney General and three more university law professor know-it-alls, proved they thought they knew it all.
Nicholas Katzenbach ( Johnson Attorney General ). He was big on the President's popularity governing impeachment. Sean Wilentz ( Princeton ). Talk about arrogant, this guy thought everyone was in agreement with his views. He attacked the impeachment process in general and the committe itself, as being a " greater threat to the rule of law, than Clinton's conduct ". Whoa, that's rich! Samuel Beer ( Harvard ). He was not entertaining, and said " impeachment is like the British vote of no confidence ". Bruce Ackerman ( Yale ). Okay, this guy seemed pretty wacko, but he launched a new novel concept of interpreting the 20th Amendment on " lame duck Congresses ". To him, the new Congress could choose to not continue the impeachment process next year, the " new House can stop impeachment dead in it's tracks ". He disputes the legality of an impeachment brought by a Congress leaving in a few months. Wow, that one goes with the " he didn't really take the oath because the judge didn't directly administer it " arguement.
The only notable Democrat clown act was, Maxine Waters. Not to let a chance go by to make a fool of herself, she attacked the impeachment process, Republicans, and launched into a personal attack on Henry Hyde that lasted all day. She berated the Committee itself with, " Thank God some of the members on this Committee will be gone ". Truely, ' The Wicked Witch of The West '.
The Republicans attempted to remain calm, but Lindsey Graham had my exchange for the day:
After citing the number of times Clinton suggested to the Paula Jones lawyers that they contact Betty Currie, in his deposition; he addressed this question to Greg Craig.
Lindsey Graham: " This is the President to Betty Currie. ' She wanted to have sex with me, and I couldn't do that '. What did he mean there? "
Greg Craig: ( after a long twisting pause ) " I don't know the answer to that question ".
Lindsey Graham: " Would you go ask him, because that's important to me. And I am going to tell everybody, here at the end of this hearing, what I think was going to happen without that blue dress and the stain on it, to this young lady, and it was not gonna' be pretty! "
Good stuff, huh? It turns out, that he asks other panelists about the same obvious testimony of witness tampering.
Asa Hutchinson pointed out that Clinton never used the word " sexual " in any of his testimony, but the lawyers keep using the word over and over again, refering to Clinton's admissions?
PANEL TWO ( or Watergate Democrats attack the House Judiciary Committee ) was a rehash of Watergate. Wayne Owens kept urging censure and attacked the committee with, " talk about abuse of power, what about this committee ". Rev. Robert Drinan ( don't you wonder why the Whitehouse keeps trotting out clergymen? ), acting like he may be getting quite senile, brought up the spectre of vengeance. He challenged the motives of the committee and invoked the word of God, in reference to the vengeance. I mean, real wrath of God kind of stuff, that made the audience groan. Elizabeth Holtzman ( one of the most vicious far left-wing wacko media talking heads ) attacked Ken Starr and the process with no regard for the truth ( or misleading statements, if you wish ).
John Conyers said that every question ( Clinton lied about ) was poorly worded and opined that the Committee had " weak puny perjury charges ".
Maxine Waters donned her clown hat again and announced that she had all ready made up her mind ( like we didn't know that? ). She then continued to read from her Henry Hyde attack statement until the time ran out. What a joke.
Lindsey Graham made an appeal, once again, to solicit some form of admission from the President, so he could support a censure motion.
PANEL THREE ( or Direct attack on Ken Starr ) was a disgrace, even for Democrats. James Hamilton ( lawyer for Clinton-Gore in 92' campaign ) attacked Ken Starr and said there was no abuse of power by Clinton. He finally offered that Clinton's conduct was reprehensible, but not impeachable, and he should recieve a stiff fine. Richard " Wipe that shit eating grin off your face " Ben-Veniste ( Senate Whitewater hearing Democrat apologist ) presented the case against Ken Starr and the impeachment process. This included a litany ad nauseum on OIC leaks, that played rather fast and loose with the truth! He finally had to admitt, after questioning by the Republicans, that he was a participant in some Whitehouse Presidential defense daily conference calls.
A host of Democrat Representitives joined in the mass mob attack of Starr, including: John Conyers, Barney Frank, Bobby Scott ( joining in on the scripted questions about Starr ), Zoe Lofgren, and yes, Maxine Waters got her extreme clown act going again. Waters attacked past Republican presidents and continued her crazy reading of a scripted attack on Henry Hyde through obscure quotes. She ended with, " I've got more, the next time around ". Saliva test, please!
Republican Chris Cannon summed up everything as coming down to the weight of perjury. He also said that Republicans joining with Democrats in 1974 in Watergate, says more than comparing Nixon to Clinton.
Oh yeah, Lindsey Graham got a question in to Ben-Veniste, surrounding those coaching questions from Clinton to Betty Currie, finishing with, " what was he ( Clinton ) trying to do? ". With that smirk on his face, Ben-Veniste replied, " I don't know ".
I think they should censure Clinton for his disgraceful conduct with Monica Lewinsky. And, impeach him for his perjury, witness tampering and abuse of power!
- Bongo ( After seeing the panels today, I guess they thought Kendall wasn't arrogant enough? )
Updated ( 12-9-98 )
(c)1998 Bongo.