Posted by
Shogrensus on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 3:15:20 AM
3/12/07
For those who just can’t seem to get the facts straight:
Bill Clinton was impeached because he committed perjury and he obstructed justice. He lied about his sexual improprieties to interfere with a lawsuit brought against him by Paula Jones. He encouraged others to lie on his behalf for purely selfish reasons.
Additionally, he used his position of power to influence the behavior of a subordinate woman and then engaged in inappropriate behavior in the Oval Office, at times while he was on the phone with legislators discussing issues of national security. His indiscretions, while denied initially, have now been admitted. On the way to the admission, he and his followers attacked the character of every woman who raised concerns about his behavior. The same women who raised the concerns were ignored by the feminist groups, who loyally rallied behind their President. (We know that Bill Clinton was the first Black President but was he also the first woman president?)
Now Newt Gingrich, the Speaker of the House who led the impeachment effort, has acknowledged, in an interview with Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson, that he too had an extramarital affair.
Rosie is on this like flies on honey. The problem: she misstates the facts to bolster her own viewpoint. Gingrich did not go after Clinton because he had an affair, he did so because of Clinton’s assault in the justice system, which culminated in the United States Supreme Court disbarring him.
To be sure, politicians, and people in general, should take their marital vows seriously. While I personally do not believe people should seek divorces unless there is abuse, a person can no longer stop a spouse from getting a divorce. If a person finds him or herself in a marriage that is beyond repair, the solution is divorce and then the possibility of a new relationship not an affair with the possibility of divorce.
The fact that several republican candidates for President have had affairs or been divorced does not mean that conservatives are indifferent to their choices. These failings will be a challenge to conservatives. Conservative tolerance of these men who have failed to meet the high standard we prefer may simply demonstrate a commitment to the notion that a person’s past mistakes shouldn’t automatically bar them from future contribution.