|
opinion:
our view
Counsel's findings
to little, too late
Independent Counsel Robert Ray released his final report on
President Clinton's scandal with White House intern Monica
Lewinsky last week. In his report, Ray found that there was
ample evidence to indict and convict Clinton in the impeachment
proceedings.
"The independent
counsel concluded that sufficient evidence existed to prosecute
and that such evidence would probably be sufficient to obtain
and sustain a conviction," said the report.
Clinton is now
two years out of office and the impeachment ended long ago.
It seems like a waste of time, money and energy to have been
pursuing the legalities of the president' actions when the
findings will make no difference. Clinton can't be charged
or tried again. The GOP was simply trying to prove a point
and further try to damage Clinton's and the Democratic Party's
reputation. All over some harmless sexual interactions.
The Lewinsky scandal
was blown so far out of proportion while Clinton was in office
and now the GOP is trying to drag it back out again. They
need to ask themselves who this is helping? Is it going to
make any difference at all?
The Republicans
succeeded in dragging the president through the gutter the
first time. They then managed to put George W. Bush in the
White House.
Now the country
is at war and the independent counsel and the Republican Party
have the audacity to bring up old news that only serves to
bolster their self-image as morality police.
There are more
pressing issues that need to be addressed then a long-gone
scandal. The GOP is merely creating a pipe dream of conviction
into a wet dream. They are too late to do anything to Clinton
except to further tarnish his image while they backslap and
glad hand each other about how they could have had him.
The investigation
into the Monica Lewinsky scandal lasted close to eight years
and cost $70 million. And even worse, there was little new
information in the independent counsel's final report.
It is a shame that
so much money could be spent on something as inconsequential
as this inquiry, when there are so many other things that
need to be addressed. As much as the GOP postures that the
investigation into Clinton was about lying, it was still all
about elitists driven to unseat a country boy simply because
of his private sexual misconduct.
With everything
that is going on in this nation like the war on terrorism
and the recession, it is much more important to focus on the
real problems. The Clinton scandal is old news and it is troublesome
to think that the "independent" counsel would bother
to bring it up again.
The independent
counsel should have left the investigation where it stood
the day that Clinton left the White House.
|
