Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: Criminal Sexuality

Author:Dave Rogers
Posted:12/15/1998; 11:33:42 AM
Topic:DaveNet comments
Msg #:1249 (In response to 1213)
Prev/Next:1248 / 1250

Although the President's sexual behavior has been the object of most of the attention in this matter, it is not his sexual behavior that is the matter before the Congress. To be sure, it is reprehensible, but is not the subject of the impeachment.

The impeachable offense is the President denied another American's right to due process by lying and inducing others to lie on his behalf. The President is the Chief Executive, responsible to the American people for the faithful execution of the laws of our country. It is his fundamental duty. When faced with carrying out the responsibilities of his office and his oath when it would be to his disadvantage, he shrugged them aside.

Effective leadership is based on reciprocal trust. The leader must have the confidence that the majority of the followers will do their duty, and the followers must have confidence that the leader will not knowingly lead them astray, or otherwise take undue advantage to them.

Respect for this trust, and scrupulous observance of it, is the basis for ones moral authority. In 1992 I engaged in lengthy debates in the political forums on GEnie regarding Governer Clinton's deficiencies in moral authority. The issues then were his actions with respect to the draft, his affair with Genifer Flowers and his experience with marijuana. I argued that while Governor Clinton wished for us to trust him with the leadership of our nation, he did not trust us with the ability to make rational decisions based on the truth. Each of the indiscretions were, in the main, rather trivial matters which most people now say didn't matter to the voters, though Governor Clinton never clearly stated the truth in any of them. It was this lack of trust in our ability to deal rationally with the truth that was most troubling to me.

Now we are confronted with a President who has performed a criminal act, perjury, because he lacked trust in the judicial system's ability to process the truth. We are confronted with a President who has repeated had to apologize publicly to the American people for lying to them. We are confronted with a President how has chosen to act in his selfish interests instead of carrying out his duty as our leader.

It is one thing to argue that other Presidents may have behaved similarly, or even worse. It is quite another to argue that when confronted with the charges now before the Congress, we should ignore them and give the President a pass because he's a popular President. Although our critics are never shy about pointing out our shortcomings, what has always been best about the American experiment is that we have always striven to do better. It is inconceivable to me how we could turn away from facing the bitter truth of a President who has so fundamentally failed in the execution of his duties.

In the final analysis, it is not a vast right-wing conspiracy which has laid this President low. It is his fundamental lack of trust in us. He has delivered himself to his enemies, he has broken faith with his office and his nation. He is not worthy of us.

Dave Rogers

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