This book is somewhat reminiscent of the Clinton presidency. That is to say, it is all over the place. Rather than start with the Starr investigation as it evolved over four-and-a-half years, it jumps right into the president's grand jury testimony before Starr in 1998 and just steamrolls into the rest of the sordid affair. There is virtually no perspective. The impeachment began in late summer 1998 when Starr sent two copies of his Report to an unprepared Congress. Twenty-years ago was the beginning of the hyper-partisan permanent news cycle that was enhanced by the burgeoning internet. The Report was released online and most of the nation knew that Bill Clinton had lied in the Paula Jones civil lawsuit deposition over his inappropriate relationship with Monica Lewinsky. The public didn't seem to think this rose to the level of impeachable conduct, gave the President high approval ratings and handed the Democrats an additional five House seats in the mid-terms. Those election results led to the resignation of Newt Gingrich as Speaker. Nonetheless, a little over a month later, the House Judiciary Committee voted out four articles of impeachment. The man designated as the next Speaker, Bob Livingston of Louisiana, was outed for a number of extra-marital affairs and withdrew his name from consideration on the very day the House approved two of the four articles. Thus, on December 19, 1998, Bill Clinton joined Andrew Johnson as the second president to be impeached. On January 7th, the Senate began the first impeachment trial in 131 years. The case was virtually DOA, had a few good days and wilted after Clinton's State of the Union address and Robert Byrd's motion to dismiss. The seven term Democrat was perceived to be the conscience and historian of the Senate and was known to totally despise Clinton. The motion failed, but it signified the beginning of the end. On February 12, the perjury article received 45 votes and the obstruction 50.
I read this book because twenty years ago, I was so engrossed in work that I missed a great deal of the drama. It has been helpful in filling in a lot of blanks. Bill Clinton was a serial philanderer, congenital liar and sexual predator. Comparisons to Cleveland, Harding, Roosevelt, Kennedy or Johnson fail, as I do not believe any of them were ever accused of forcing himself on anyone and none ever carried on with a White House intern. Also, after six years in Washington, it is fair to say the president was despised in the House and Senate by virtually everyone for his lack of character and inability to keep his word. As for the Republican accusers, hypocrisy is not a strong enough word to characterize their failings. Gingrich carried on a five-year affair with a staffer that featured oral sex because intercourse would constitute cheating on his second wife, with whom he had cheated on his first wife. Two decades later, the staffer, now his 3rd spouse, became the US Vicar to the Holy See. Livingston, as mentioned above, strayed from his marriage. Hyde, the Judiciary Chair, strayed from his, as did House manager Bob Barr. The Whip, Tom Delay who tirelessly rallied for impeachment, later went to jail after a felony conviction for campaign finance fraud. Prison was also the outcome for Speaker Hastert, who tried to hush up his perverted years as a boys wrestling coach. What a wealth of Depravity and Hypocrisy marching across history's pages!
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