Archive [February 1999]

“Only those who play have stains on their uniforms.” — REV. JESSE JACKSON, ATTEMPTING TO LAUD PRESIDENT CLINTON’S POLITICAL BOLDNESS WITH A BASEBALL METAPHOR, QUOTED IN THE [LONDON] TIMES

Oops.

“The Founding Fathers created impeachment as a system to prevent Presidents from being challenged for normal activities that might be criminal or civil.” — REP. SAM GEJDENSON (D, CT), QUOTED IN THE NEW BRITAIN (CT) HERALD

Newsflash: Democrats consider criminal activities by Presidents “normal.”

“Be wary, be wary of the prosecutor who feels it necessary to deceive the court.” — CHARLES RUFF, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL, IN DEFENSE OF PRESIDENT CLINTON BEFORE THE SENATE, ACCUSING THE HOUSE MANAGERS OF “PROSECUTORIAL FUDGE.” QUOTED IN THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

No; be wary of the President who feels it necessary to deceive his family, his friends, his lawyers, his staff, his Cabinet, his party, his country, the Congress, and the court.

“I went up to her after and I just said I just want you to know you touched me as a woman.” — SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D, CA), ON WHITE HOUSE ATTORNEY CHERYL MILLS’S PRESENTATION BEFORE THE SENATE, ON CNN’S “LARRY KING LIVE”

No, Senator — that’s the President’s M.O.

“All of President Clinton’s untruths, all of his lying under oath, if you will, about an extramarital relationship, does not subvert the Constitution, plain and simple.” — SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D, NY), ON NBC’S “MEET THE PRESS”

Of course not! In fact, it’s good for the Constitution! All Presidents from now on should be required to do it!

“Those men and women who lost their lives and are buried in Flanders Field and other places, believe that the most significant political act we engage in together as Americans is electing a President … Those people who lost their lives in those places … don’t want, necessarily, a thin margin of the House of Representatives to impeach, to remove a President of the United States…” — SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD (D, CT), EXPLAINING THAT THE CONVICTION OF PRESIDENT CLINTON WOULD BE AN AFFRONT TO AMERICA’S WAR DEAD, ON NBC’S “MEET THE PRESS”

Democrats are experts at counting the votes of the dead. Seems their poll results are in from Flanders Field.

“I don’t think there is any way that we can cloak with any dignity this reckless [impeachment] action taken by the House. All we can do is hope to cloak ourselves with it — with some dignity in handling this pile of dung, if I might use that phrase, that a reckless, partisan House has handed us.” — SEN. TOM HARKIN (D, IA) ON “FOX NEWS SUNDAY”

You ooze dignity, Senator.

“We are trying to avoid even the perception of partisanship.” — SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D, SD), SENATE MINORITY LEADER, ON SENATE DEMOCRATS, ON CBS’S “FACE THE NATION”

Yeah. We can tell.

“What he [Clinton] did was clearly, clearly, clearly immoral, clearly, clearly out of bounds. And we should be on record as clearly stating we found the conduct reprehensible.” — SEN. JOE BIDEN (D, DE), ON PRESIDENT CLINTON, ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL’S “SPECIAL REPORT”

Here’s an idea: How about clearly, clearly, clearly convicting him?

“He has bad days and worse days. I don’t think he has any good days.” — DEE DEE MYERS, REGARDING CLINTON, ON CNBC’S “HARDBALL”

Agreed.

“Not bad.” — BILL CLINTON, WHEN ASKED HOW HE FELT TO HAVE BEEN IMPEACHED, QUOTED IN THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

So much for feeling his own pain.

“The other night, I actually had a dream in Colonial costume.” — SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D, MD), AFTER STUDYING IMPEACHMENT HISTORY, QUOTED IN THE BALTIMORE SUN

Now that is a nightmare — Barbara Mikulski in a bustle.

“Forgive me for saying so, I thought the President was awkward at times and nervous on occasion.” — PETER JENNINGS, AFTER THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, ABC NEWS

We forgive you. But will you accept censure?

“He did everything but buy a new dress for the Statue of Liberty.” — REP. JOSEPH MOAKLEY (D, MA), ON PRESIDENT CLINTON’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, AP

He may still; depends what’s on the old dress.

“Any member of Congress who thinks there’s significant interest in where he parks his ass for the evening is delusional.” — REP. BARNEY FRANK (D, MA), ON REPUBLICANS NOT ATTENDING THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, QUOTED IN THE BOSTON HERALD

No comment.

“The President was very much in his element. He touched every button that needed to be touched.” — LEON PANETTA, EX-WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF, ON THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, ABC NEWS

Perhaps an unfortunate choice of words, Leon.

“I don’t believe in personal assault.” — JAMES CARVILLE, NOW MANAGING THE CAMPAIGN OF EHUD BARAK, WHO IS OPPOSING ISRAELI’S PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU, QUOTED IN ISRAEL’S BUSINESS ARENA

Yeah; you tag team with Larry Flynt.

“He’s sharp as a tack, very fast, very quick, with a good head for this kind of stuff … He’s a master strategist. And he’s righteous on this.” — DAN MOLDEA, ON PORNOGRAPHER LARRY FLYNT, FOR WHOM MOLDEA IS DIGGING UP DIRT ON REPUBLICANS, QUOTED IN THE AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

Using the Clinton definition of “righteous.”

“You’ve got to fight fire with fire, Sam. You know, I mean, desperate times require desperate means.” — LARRY FLYNT, PORNOGRAPHER, INTERVIEWED BY SAM DONALDSON ABOUT HIS THREATS TO EXPOSE REPUBLICANS’ PECCADILLOES, ON ABC’S “20/20”

This must be what President Clinton meant in his State of the Union Address when he mentioned “the sacred fire of liberty.”

“[The White House] doesn’t have any control over what a newsmagazine publisher does.” — JOE LOCKHART, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY, DAYS AFTER THE PRESIDENT CALLED FOR AN END TO “THE POLITICS OF PERSONAL DESTRUCTION,” EXPLAINING WHY CLINTON WOULD NOT ASK FLYNT, PUBLISHER OF THE PORNOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE HUSTLER, TO STOP INVESTIGATING THE SEX LIVES OF REPUBLICANS. QUOTED IN THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Hustler — the White House’s favorite news outlet.

“There are a number of people we have dead, bang. But unless they are out there shooting off their mouths on TV talk shows or the floor of Congress, we have no intention of bothering those people and interfering with their lives. We intend to throw them back into the river.” — DAN MOLDEA, WARNING REPUBLICANS NOT TO CRITICIZE BILL CLINTON LEST THEIR PASTS BE USED AGAINST THEM, QUOTED IN THE AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

Obviously a student of “The Godfather.”

’He is more likely to be hit by a meteor.” — AL GORE, ON WHETHER PRESIDENT CLINTON WOULD EVER RESIGN, QUOTED IN THE NEW YORK POST

In other words, “Never.” Same odds against him ever telling the truth.

“The hallmark of a weak case is hyperbolic and overblown rhetoric.” — JOE LOCKHART, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN, SAYING THE HOUSE MANAGERS’ BRIEF “READS LIKE A CHEAP MYSTERY,” AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE.

One could argue that no one has been more overblown than this President.

“We’re going to put the system of justice on trial.” — SEN. ROBERT TORRICELLI, (D, NJ), ON THE DEMOCRATS’ STRATEGY IN THE SENATE, QUOTED IN THE ABILENE (TX) REPORTER-NEWS

So what else is new?

“In the eyes of history, Bill Clinton is not the only one on trial. So are his accusers. So are his judges. And so are all of us.” — DAN RATHER, CBS’S LIVE COVERAGE OF THE SENATE TRIAL

Speak for yourself.

“I found Monica warm and intelligent and very open. I told her, ‘You’re very alive.’ And she said, ‘Maybe that was the appeal [to the President].’” — BARBARA WALTERS, AFTER MEETING MONICA LEWINSKY, AP

That was the appeal, all right, Monica: You have a pulse.