Bill Clinton Knows Evil

By Larry Elder, Frontpage Magazine
December 31, 1998
© Copyright 1998 Laurence A. Elder

In urging censure over impeachment, one newspaper editorial described the President's conduct this way: "odious," "contemptible," "shameful," "reckless," "indefensible," "despicable," "dishonest," "stupid."

And the President's lawyer, Gregory Craig, in testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, called the President's behavior "evasive," "incomplete," "misleading," "maddening."

And the President's defense attorney, Charles Ruff, said to the House Judiciary Committee that "reasonable people could believe the President lied under oath."

This from the President's friends! Why, then, do Clinton defenders treat those in favor of impeachment like the devil incarnate? Exaggeration, you say?

Take Alan Dershowitz's recent appearance on Rivera Live: " A vote against impeachment is not a vote for Bill Clinton. It is a vote against bigotry. It's a vote against fundamentalism. It's a vote against anti-environmentalism. It's a vote against the right-to-life movement. It's a vote against the radical right. This is truly the first battle in a great culture war. And if this president is impeached, it will be a great victory for the forces of evil, evil, genuine evil. People like Congressman Barr, Sen. Trent Lott, Sen. Jesse Helms, who support white supremacist organizations, will claim victory over decency and decent people. And I hope that moderates out there realize, even if they don't like Bill Clinton, to vote for impeachment is to vote to give their party over to the mad dogs of radicalism." Mad dogs of radicalism?

How about Alec Baldwin on The Conan O'Brien Show? "As we speak right now, the Judiciary Committee, the President has an approval rating of 68 percent. I mean, the President is very popular, things are going pretty good, and they're voting to impeach the President. They voted on one article of impeachment already. And . . . I come back from Africa to stained dresses and cigars and impeachment, and I'm thinking to myself, in other countries they are laughing at us 24 hours a day. And I'm thinking to myself, if we were in other countries, we would, all of us together, would go down to Washington and we would stone Henry Hyde to death. [cheers] Then, we'd go to their homes, and we'd kill their wives and their children." Kill their wives and children?

Or feminist Betty Friedan: "To have our will overthrown by a bunch of dirty, old white men trying to use sexual issues wrongly . . . to impeach a president, this is really a disgrace." Dirty, old white men?

And during the committee hearing, Rep. Maxine Waters (D, Ca.) began one speech with: "I am here in the name of my slave ancestors to insist that the President be afforded the constitutional protections that should be available to every citizen in this country." Slave ancestors?

Oh, it's ugly out there. Unabashed Clinton supporter and Hustler publisher Larry Flynt put an ad in the Washington Post, offering $1 million for information about adultery on any member of Congress or high-ranking public official. Flynt claims to have the goods on about a dozen pols; all but one are Republicans. (He's not sure whether to "out" the Democrat.) His impending story on the House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston prompted Livingston to publicly admit multiple extramarital affairs.

Why the frothing? After all, should Congress expel Clinton from office, Al Gore stands ready to take over. Gore, ideologically compatible with Clinton, possesses an even stronger "pro-environment" record. His stands on affirmative action and "diversity" mirror Clinton's. His close personal relationship with the President suggests little reason for the pro-Clinton crowd to fear a switch in priorities, ideology, or commitment to their issues.

So why the hysteria? Simple. Many Democrats plainly and quite deeply find Republicans irredeemably, irretrievably evil. Yes, evil.

Consider the way Dick Morris said the President described his 1996 campaign opponent, Bob Dole, a World War II veteran who nearly lost his life defending the country. According to Morris, Clinton said: " . . . Bob Dole is not a nice man. Bob Dole is evil. The things he wants to do to children are evil. The things he wants to do to poor people and old people and sick people are evil. Let's get that straight."

So in the ever-intriguing mind of the emotional, liberal Democrat, impeachment turns not on the facts, the law, or the Constitution. No, this is, as Clinton attack dog James Carville put it, "war." This is Us vs. Them, Rightness vs. Meanness, Good vs. Evil. Fortunately, in this fight, we do have a referee. It's called the Constitution. And the founders established a procedure for impeachment and trial in the Senate for a president who becomes "odious," "contemptible," "shameful," "reckless," "indefensible," "despicable," "dishonest," "stupid."

Some quote the founders of the Constitution, others quote the founder of Hustler.