By: Mary Mostert, Analyst,
August 18, 1998
Exactly what do we call the little speech we all heard from President Clinton last night? It wasn't a confession. And, you have to be a detective to figure out exactly what it was he said. For example, he said of his testimony before the Grand Jury, " I answered their questions truthfully, including questions about my private life, questions no American citizen would ever want to answer."
He promised a week ago that he would "fully" answer the questions. He didn't. He refused to answer some of the questions.
And, what's this about having to answer "questions no American citizen would ever want to answer?" That could be said about almost any court case before the courts. SOMEBODY doesn't want to answer questions asked by the prosecutor or the attorney for the opposing side.
He said, "Still, I must take complete responsibility for all my actions, both public and private. And that is why I am speaking to you tonight. As you know, in a deposition in January, I was asked questions about my relationship with Monica Lewinsky. While my answers were legally accurate, I did not volunteer information."
During his January deposition he responded that he "couldn't recall" or "didn't remember" to 247 questions. One of the things he could not remember was whether or not he had ever been alone with Monica Lewinsky. Before the Grand Jury he admitted having a relationship with "Ms. Lewinsky that was not appropriate."
Not appropriate, Mr. President? The adjective "appropriate" means "suitable" or "fitting." Like wearing "appropriate" clothing to a dinner or dance. If you don't wear "appropriate" clothing to a formal dinner, you might feel personally embarrassed, but it won't hurt anybody else. It's no big deal.
An activity which has wrecked the life of Monica Lewinsky, financially devastated some of your strongest supporters, emotionally devastated your daughter and made America the laughing stock of the entire world is not defined as "not appropriate." How about "stupid," "destructive" or "adulterous" relationship?
Clinton continued with: "It was wrong. It constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and completely responsible."
While we were all encouraged that the President said he was "solely and completely responsible" for his behavior, and thought this might be a good place to insert the words "I'm sorry" or "Please forgive me for the pain and disruption I have caused, there was never an apology offered. The President never asked publicly for anyone's forgiveness - the public, his wife, his daughter, supporters and staff, and even members of the Cabinet like Secretary of State Madeline Albright. Albright must feel like a total idiot for her putting her own reputation on the chopping block to tell the world she believed you when you lied to her about Monica Lewinsky.
"But I told the grand jury today and I say to you now that at no time did I ask anyone to lie, to hide or destroy evidence or to take any other unlawful action," the President continued. Actually, anyone who believed his finger shaking "I never had sexual relations with that woman - Monica Lewinsky," believed it and tried to convince others to believe it - reporters, writers, editors, etc., lied for you unwittingly, didn't they Mr. President?
I know that my public comments and my silence about this matter gave a false impression. I misled people, including even my wife. I deeply regret that.
It wasn't a "false impression." Mr. President, what we are dealing with here are bald-faced, self-serving lies.
I can only tell you I was motivated by many factors. First, by a desire to protect myself from the embarrassment of my own conduct.
It's interesting that saving your own hide was your number one priority. You used a young woman half your age, young enough to be your daughter, for kinky sex, while both of you were in the Oval Office, on federal property, while being paid by the taxpayer. This is hardly "private."
I was also very concerned about protecting my family. If you were, you would not have been involved with Monica Lewinsky.
The fact that these questions were being asked in a politically inspired lawsuit, which has since been dismissed, was a consideration, too.
Well, we all know you aren't interested in protecting your family, Mr. President. If you cared about your family, you would not be involved in behavior that humiliates them. What, pray tell, was "politically inspired" about Paula Jones' lawsuit? She was minding her own business, doing the job she was paid to do, when you had Larry Patterson bring her up to your hotel room. She thought she was going to be offered a better job by the Governor of the State. Instead, you exposed yourself to her and tried to get her to participate in oral sex.
Where's the politics? That lawsuit was inspired by your behavior and the fact that her name was used in a nationwide publication claiming that she was a willing participant in an adulterous relationship with you. Paula Jones wanted her good name back. She wanted an apology. Instead, your spin doctors and lawyer tried to destroy her.
In addition, I had real and serious concerns about an independent counsel investigation that began with private business dealings 20 years ago – dealings, I might add, about which an independent federal agency found no evidence of any wrongdoing by me or my wife over two years ago.
The independent counsel investigation moved on to my staff and friends, then into my private life. And now the investigation itself is under investigation.
This has gone on too long, cost too much and hurt too many innocent people.
Yes, it has gone on too long and cost too much money and hurt too many innocent people. So, how come you did everything possible to obstruct the investigation? And, yes, quite a number of your staff and friends have been investigated and something like 18 of them have been convicted on felonies.
Now, this matter is between me, the two people I love most – my wife and our daughter – and our God. I must put it right, and I am prepared to do whatever it takes to do so.
Nothing is more important to me personally. But it is private, and I intend to reclaim my family life for my family. It's nobody's business but ours.
Even presidents have private lives. It is time to stop the pursuit of personal destruction and the prying into private lives and get on with our national life.
My, my! Shades of 1992 and your and Hillary's performance on Sixty Minutes. Someone, Hillary perhaps, must have remembered how effective her "There isn't a person watching this who would feel comfortable sitting on this couch detailing everything that ever went on in their life or their marriage. I think it's real dangerous in this country if we don't have a zone of privacy for everyone. We've gone further than anybody we know of and that's all we're going to say."
No truthful statements about Gennifer Flowers. No apology. No promise to repent and not do it again. Just blaming others and defiance. It worked in 1992. Will it work again?
Our country has been distracted by this matter for too long, and I take my responsibility for my part in all of this. That is all I can do.
Now it is time – in fact, it is past time – to move on.
We have important work to do – real opportunities to seize, real problems to solve, real security matters to face.
And so tonight, I ask you to turn away from the spectacle of the past seven months, to repair the fabric of our national discourse, and to return our attention to all the challenges and all the promise of the next American century.
Thank you for watching. And good night.
Again, no apology. No concern for the embarrassment caused the entire nation. Just more blaming of Kenneth Starr and the public for problems caused by your own behavior. This statement has Hillary's fingerprints all over it.
Senator Orrin Hatch, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee which would handle an impeachment trial, said several times prior to yesterday that he believed a sincere apology from the President would save the Clinton presidency and ward off impeachment proceedings, if it only involved Monical Lewinsky. That should have motivated any sincere, contrite sinner to come forward with a real apology to the American people.
Apparently the White House spin-doctors believe the polls indicate such strong support that Clinton thinks he can take the risk of continuing his arrogant defiance of normal moral behavior expected. With the stock market rising 149 points during the one day he was occupied with the Grand Jury, it appears that perhaps the President of the United States has become so irrelevant to the economy, that people just don't care what is going on in the White House.
To comment: mmostert@originalsources.com