Bill Clinton 2 Essay, Research Paper
Bill Clinton
In recent history, one would be hard pressed to find one politician surrounded in more controversy than Bill Clinton. His scandals have included drugs, adultery, treason, and fraud. The latest opprobrium that has plagued his presidency resulted in him becoming only the second president in the history of the United States to be impeached.
After a long and drawn out sexual harassment trial, Paula Jones lawyers deposed former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. What would follow in the next 14 months, even Clinton s most adamant critics couldn t have predicted. It all began with Clinton s now infamous words; I have never had sexual relations with that woman, Monica Lewinsky. Several videotapes, sapeanas, and cigar jokes later, the American public found out that he did, indeed, had sex with that woman.
Many were outraged, many thought it was his personal business, and many just didn t care. The nation became divided on what actions should be taken against a popular president that had just admitted to lying to his public and possibly lying under oath. Every constitutional scholar had an opinion about what constituted high crimes and misdemeanors. The 146th congress had to determine that for themselves, and in early January of 1999, William Jefferson Clinton was impeached.
As the focus then turned to the Senate, many debates arose. Did the President s sexual indiscretion deserve to get him removed from office? Other options such as censorship were debated, but whether or not other options could even be discussed brought disagreement. In the end, the Senate voted against removing Clinton from office, but whether that will be the last of this matter, only time will tell.
Fifty years from now, when our grandchildren are learning about our 46th President, what will the books say? Will they explain how his moral hypocracy divided a country? As a member of our United States armed forces, I find it hard to respect a man who can so easily lie to his citizens, deny responsibility for his actions, and expect the public to forgive and forget with no real repentance. It is a sad time for our country when parents can t even use the head of state as a role model for their children. As a result of Clinton s actions, his every decision is questioned for fear that he is just covering us another lie. Can Americans rely on Bill Clinton to make the best choices for our country when we don t even trust him?
Although what President Clinton did is not morally right I feel that it is important to look at the positive things that he has done for our country. Like the old saying goes you have to take the good with the bad. If you look past the moral issues and look at what he has done to improve America s economy you will find that he has done a considerable job. With the deficit that President Reagan and President Bush left him you could probably say that he has done a great job. For the second time in our countries existence we have a surplus. This means that our budget is so well organized that we have extra money to spend where we see fit. Financially our country is better off now that it has been in the last twenty years. Every year that Mr. Clinton has been in office unemployment and welfare has dropped considerably. We may not trust President Clinton socially but I know we can trust him financially.
The great thing about our country is that we have the right to have our own opinions. Whether you feel that President Clinton should stay in office or be forced out is totally up to you. That is what makes our country great.