Lewinsky affair not reason enough for impeachment

Friday, October 9, 1998

Lewinsky affair not reason enough for impeachment

PRESIDENT: Resignation of Clinton would harm country, prove
nothing

By Mark Jacobs

I am disgusted by the recent abuse our president has taken in
the Daily Bruin. I am shocked by some of the statements that were
made. I feel obligated to say, and I want to make it clear, that
President Clinton should not resign nor should he be impeached.

There is no doubt that Clinton’s behavior is indefensible and
completely unethical. He committed adultery and perjury. These are
very bad things. We know this. The one question that remains is
should the president willingly or unwillingly leave his office for
lying about having an extramarital affair?

First, let it be known that the president cannot be compared to
the average citizen. The average citizen would have inevitably lost
his job and possibly his family. The president of the United
States, however, is not your average citizen, and people who think
he should be treated just as you and I are treated need to
reexamine the Constitution along with their own heads.

Second, I want to ask everybody who wants to see him gone, one
way or another, to stop pretending you are so offended by his
actions. As wrong as they are, in a society where affairs and lies
are so commonly accepted (and ‘Jerry Springer’ is the nation’s
favorite talk show), I am surprised when people express deep
concern or anger at the thought of such immoral conduct.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t appreciate being lied to. If
somebody told me there was a fat guy named Santa Claus, and it
turned out there wasn’t, you can bet I’d be angry. But if somebody
told me that their favorite color was blue and it turned out to be
hot pink, I honestly wouldn’t give a you-know-what.

Third, I think we should all be very concerned when we hear
people say that his resignation would be for the good of the
country. People seem to think that if he stepped aside all of this
would simply disappear, and A-1 Gore could simply take over where
Clinton left off.

The truth is that the political, economic, social and
psychological consequences of any president’s departure from office
would be detrimental not only for our country, but for the entire
world.

I’ve heard that the one positive outcome would be that we would
set an example for our children. This theory seems to state that if
the president resigned, or was impeached, children would learn that
having affairs and lying is unacceptable behavior and would grow up
to be monogamous, honest citizens.

Sorry, but I just don’t buy it. At first, I did feel bad for the
parents who had to explain the president’s situation (and the
frequently heard sexual references) to their sons and daughters –
but then I realized that these are the same parents who have to
explain why Dennis Rodman wears women’s clothing. My point is that
with all of the weird, sexual and violent people and events that
children are exposed to via the media, let’s not pretend this
controversy is bringing up a new topic at the dinner table.

Mark Jacobs

Jacobs is a third-year undeclared

student.

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