FLASHBACK: Tom Delay During Clinton Impeachment

Here's what former House Majority Leader Tom Delay said back in 1998 when the House was debating whether to impeach President Clinton:

I believe that this nation sits at a crossroads. One direction points to the higher road of the rule of law. Sometimes hard, sometimes unpleasant, this path relies on truth, justice and the rigorous application of the principle that no man is above the law.

Now, the other road is the path of least resistance. This is where we start making exceptions to our laws based on poll numbers and spin control. This is when we pitch the law completely overboard when the mood fits us, when we ignore the facts in order to cover up the truth.

Shall we follow the rule of law and do our constitutional duty no matter unpleasant, or shall we follow the path of least resistance, close our eyes to the potential lawbreaking, forgive and forget, move on and tear an unfixable hole in our legal system? No man is above the law, and no man is below the law. That's the principle that we all hold very dear in this country.

Comments

[incredulous]

There is not the double standard here that many are trying to claim. Clinton clearly violated, willfully and knowingly, a clearly established law. He lied under oath!!
Fletcher and Delay, on the other hand, are being charged with breaking laws that are ambiguous and unclear. You can't fairly compare the two. Clinton was clearly guilty under well established rule of law. Not true with Fletcher of Delay. So safe the hypocrisy charges.
Fox, although they lean to the right, has done an excellent job of making this distinction in there coverage. I hope you libs try to get a little balance in your media diet.

[Steve M]

The Texas prosecutor is a Democrat but has prosecuted 15 officials in the past,12 Democrats and 3 Republicans. Once again we should let the Courts and a jury decide the guilt or innocence of Tom DeLay rather than the court of public opinion. I think DeLay is a slime ball but he is innocent until and unless proven guilty.I make no excuses for his actions if he in fact committed the offenses charged. As Delay said:

"No man is above the law, and no man is below the law. That's the principle that we all hold very dear in this country."

[call me crazy]

I would agree with "incredulous" that Bill Clinton's crime, perjury--lying under oath, is much easier to understand than both the conspiracy allegations currently pending against Tom DeLay and the Merit system violations plaguing Fletcher's administration. However, I would point out that Clinton's crime, while exceptionally serious--particularly given his background as an attorney, was nothing more than a prosecutorial "gotcha" at the end of a long, tedious, and ultimately pointless Federal investigation ($75 Million, right?!?). Second, I am sure that even Republicans are aware of that old saw, "Ignorance of the law is no defense." This is particularly true when one considers that both DeLay and Fletcher, by virtue of their powerful positions in government, no doubt have many talented and competent legal advisors on hand to give them expert advice on any subject.

Both these men, or those in their employ, seem to have consistently strained to evade the restrictions placed on them by campaign finance law (DeLay) and Merit System law (Fletcher). Now that they are alleged to have crossed a legal line it baffles me that anyone could suggest that such a failure was inadvertent...I guess if they truly believe this to be the case the honorable thing to do would be to argue in court that the laws that are alleged to have been broken are unconstitutionally vague rendering them unenforceable, something tells me this isn't the strategy they'll choose. And we shouldn't buy it either.

[EK Indy]

Ernie should read that statement by Delay and then reflect back on how he has (mis)handled the merit system mess. It should become obvious to him that he is following "the path of least resistance" by pitching the law completely overboard (misdemeanor = noodling), closing his eyes to potential lawbreaking (it's only a political witch hunt), forgiving & forgetting (issues pardons), and move on (we're going to move this state forward).

[PBG]

While Pres. Clinton was not convicted of perjury, he was impeached but not found guilty by a Republican majority Senate and thereafter Pres. Clinton lost his law license in Arkansas. Pres. Clinton was punished for his crimes.

"Call me Crazy" and the others here make good points in this discussion. I've noticed that medical doctors don't always pick skilled doctors for themselves. They may choose a friend with an excellent reputation but not at the top of their game. Lawyers make similar mistakes when choosing a lawyer for themselves. Clinton's deposition where he lied about his fidelity could have been cured immediately on the spot with a simple "time out" to woodshed Clinton to tell the truth even about fidelity. Pence will soon face similar problems too. Amazing how big money can buy you a lawyer "without a lick of sense". I find it "crazy" that Pence doesn't follow his instincts as a prosecutor and resign to salvage his career and reputation. McConnell deserves the "black widow" title that was stuck on some poor female cooperating with a Grand Jury of honest folks. Interesting how a man can have several marriages and is acceptable as a leader, and a female in similar circumstances becomes a "black widow"

[Steve M]

DeLay's statement should be added to the oath of office for every elected official in this country!

"Fletcher and Delay, on the other hand, are being charged with breaking laws that are ambiguous and unclear. You can't fairly compare the two. Clinton was clearly guilty under well established rule of law. Not true with Fletcher of Delay."

Baloney. If you can't read KRS 18A.140 and understand it, then you are really, really, really stupid. Similarly, if you can't understand a ban on corporate contributions to election campaigns, you have a real problem.

[nonya]

I would hardly call the Whitewater investigation "long, tedious and ultimately pointless." They got, what, 11 convictions out of the deal? I remember Jim Guy Tucker and Webster Hubbell and the McDougals, but I can't remember the others. The Clintons were just the highest-profile people involved.

Clinton's undoing was his lying to save his sorry philandering butt in a civil suit filed by an Arkansas state employee who claimed that she was denied raises because she resisted then-Gov. Clinton's advances.

OK. Let's get this straight.

Whitewater investigation:

Begins by looking into a land deal that took place before Clinton was elected. It had nothing to do with our government or how it functioned. Then it veered into the completely unrelated matter of Vince Foster's suicide - still not anything to do with the functioning of government. Then it veered into the completely unrelated matter of the firings in the White House travel office - related to government operations in only the most minor of ways. Then it veers into Clinton's sex life. 8 or so years, $60 million or so, and that's all legitimate by Republican standards.

Merit System investigation:

The chief law enforcement officer is presented with information that those in power are abusing state personnel laws left and right. He investigates, stays on that one single matter, produces indictments in less than a year and at no additional expense to government, yet for this Republicans cry foul.

Ridiculous.

Here is the standard Republican view:

It is OK to relentlessly pursue a Democrat, spend tens of millions of dollars over several years looking into anything and everything to get him, even over something that has absolutely nothing to do with our government's operation.

But, it is not OK to charge a Republican when you have evidence that he has committed crimes at the governor's behest while abusing the powers of his position and interfering in how state government is, by law, supposed to operate. This isn't OK even though the prosecution has stayed focused on the one single matter about which evidence was brought to them, at no additional cost to the public, and with indictments produced within a few short months.

The Republican line on all of this is ridiculous.