Timehost: Well, there you have it! The president has spoken.
He's admitted that he had an inappropriate relationship
with Monica Lewinsky. I'm hearing George Stephanopolous saying that he's
really surprised at the speech. No one really thought that he would take shots at
Kenneth Starr.
Timehost: Now I'm hearing historian Michael Beschloss say that
it's the first time that a President has ever said that he lied.
The President has just gone on television, and in a short
speech, he said that he had had an inappropriate
relationship with Monica Lewinsky, and that he regrets it, but that he thinks it's private...and that even
presidents should have private lives.
Timehost: First, we're going to be joined by TIME Washington
correspondent Jay Branegan. And then a little later, we're going to be joined by
Presidential historian Gil Troy. Okay, everyone...Jay Branegan is here with us.
Timehost: Let's start with the question that's on everyone's mind...
deioncool: What's going to happen to the president after all of
this is said and done??
Jay Branegan: That's really up to the Congress and the
American people. If this speech goes down well he will be able to resume
his presidency. If not, we've all got a long, bumpy road ahead.
Veronastar: Exactly what happened today, did he confess to lying?
Jay Branegan: Good question! It sounds like he
confessed to lying as you and I know it, but tried not to confess to perjury as the law knows
it. I think that for us normal folks, yes, he confessed.
Sweet__Destiny: Did Starr directly ask Clinton about conversations
with Monica regarding what she would say in her deposition?
Jay Branegan: It appears so. I can't pretend to know
just yet what the precise questions were. But clearly, that was a major focus of both Starr's interrogation and the President's
defiant statement tonight. Clearly the President felt his greater legal jeopardy, and
political jeopardy, was in the area of obstruction.
Timehost: Here's a comment that echoes already what a number of
pundits and critics have said...
RUinTUNE: Sorry? I never heard him say sorry. In my view he turned
an apology (10%) into a Ken Starr bashing session (90%)
Timehost: In fact, right now, Senator Hatch is saying he finds Clinton's comments about Starr "offensive."
Jay Branegan: I would agree. I was surprised by the
lack of contrition, and I was also surprised by the aggressive
anti-Starr tone. I think that this reflects, at least from the information we
were getting over the weekend, a last minute change of tactic. There is already
speculation that perhaps it was Hillary Clinton who was the architect of this new course.
Timehost: Speaking of Hillary Clinton...
VelvetJones77: Do you think he told Hillary before today?
Timehost: When do you think Hillary knew?
Jay Branegan: What did she know and when did she know
it?
Timehost: Yes, that's the question!
Jay Branegan: That is the $64 question of the day here in Washington. There seems to be a consensus that she only found out
the truth in recent days, but many of us find that very difficult to believe,
however, that scenario, you will note, fits very well with the President's excuse as to why he
put the country through this for seven months.
Timehost: We're also being joined now by presidential historian Gil
Troy. Thanks for being with us tonight.
Gil Troy: Thank you, it's a pleasure.
Timehost: Here's a question for both of you....
pint16: Can Clinton hope to maintain the dignity of the office of
president after this event?
Gil Troy: Theodore Roosevelt called the presidency the "Bully
Pulpit". With Clinton we now have the "Sullied Pulpit". I think it will be very difficult for Bill Clinton's
Presidency to regain its dignity and I think it will also be very difficult for the
presidency in general to recover.
Jay Branegan: I think Gil may be right in the abstract.
At a practical level we have seen him remain very popular, crowds still are very enthusiastic, and overseas he will still be accorded the respect due to the leader
of the free world. I certainly agree that the office has in some ways been
diminished but it remains to be seen what practical or political
impact that will have.
Gil Troy: Didn't Time magazine have a cover story
early in Clinton's administration on the Incredible Shrinking Presidency? Bill Clinton entered
office with grandiose ambitions and unfortunately, has demeaned the office instead.
jtagent86: I just watched the apology on CNN. I saw no remorse and
no repentance. Did any of you?
Gil Troy: I saw no remorse. Bill Clinton has numbed the American people to the sins of lying and has gotten them accustomed to his non-denial denials, and his non-apologetic apologies.
Jay Branegan: Let me just point out, he never used the
word SEX.
shaggie10: How is it possible for a President to have lied to the
American people and still be able to stay in office?
Timehost: I just heard another Presidential historian say that Clinton's admission of lying was a first for an American
president. Is that so?
Gil Troy: While it is true that presidents have given
all kinds of apologies over the years, John Kennedy, indirectly, for the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Ronald Reagan, indirectly, for the Iran Contra affair. And now we have Bill Clinton apologizing, indirectly,
for lying to his family, his aides, and the American people. Unfortunately, for the last 8 months, Clinton's
supporters have been insisting that all presidents lie and the American
people have begun to accept that idea.
Timehost: Of course, Gil, lots of people feel that what he was
asked about is not something that people need to be fully truthful -- these next questions are similar to many we've received...
Big_Wal: I think we've all gone too far.... the President has gone
a great job.... what he does on his time is his business not ours..
josephc654: Do we really care about what two consenting adults do
in private?
Jay Branegan:: Certainly the President agrees with that! And the president is banking on the fact that most
other Americans agree with that. The real question is whether the 435 members of the
House of Representatives also agree. And since few of them could withstand this kind of
probe into their private lives, I suspect they will.
Gil Troy: Of course, Bill Clinton himself recognized
in his speech tonight that it was not just about sex. Which is why he could admit to
a relationship with Lewinsky and stay in office.
Timehost: We're sorry folks, Jay Branegan has to leave now but we're still here with presidential historian Gil
Troy. Mr. Troy is a professor of history at
McGill University in Montreal, and the author of two books about presidential
politics, "Affairs of State: The Rise and Rejection of the Presidential Couple
Since World War II" and "See How They Ran: The Changing Role of the
Presidential Candidate." What do you think will happen next?
dzimmefour: What will congress do with this?
Gil Troy: As a historian I am much more comfortable
predicting the past than the future (grin!). However, the two key events looming are 1) Kenneth
Starr's final report and, 2) the November elections. Both of those events I feel very comfortable predicting
will occur.
Timehost: Let's look at the speech...
Lancis: Will we get a longer speech out of Clinton?
Timehost: As you look at what other speeches have done for other Presidents, what do you think about this one?
Gil Troy: My guess is that this will have to suffice.
Clinton did all that he could for eight tortuous months,
avoiding this day. And I doubt that he's going to want to revisit this question. Of course Richard Nixon, too, gave a series of speeches on Watergate that he thought, when
announced, would be the final word on the subject.
_Vinko: where is al gore
Gil Troy: He's where Clinton wishes he was:
vacationing in Hawaii! Gore is in a very delicate position. He cannot betray
his boss, and he does not want to risk his political future. But
assuming that in the wake of the Clinton presidency, Americans will want a Boy Scout in office, this could be good news
for Mr. Gore.
Timehost: Actually, here's a little news flash...Vice President
Gore just issued a statement he says that his heart is with the President. And says that he is proud of the President, not only because he is a friend, but because he can
admit mistakes.
Gil Troy: And that's why its no fun being Vice
President!
Timehost: Wolf Blitzer just read that statement on CNN as we were
talking about it!
slappy_the_squirrel_1: Will Republicans feel pressure to impeach,
or to let it die? How "guilty" are they?
Gil Troy: Republicans are not really enjoying this
scandal. Again and again, Clinton the Magician has stolen the issues from them. They will only push for impeachment if they have no
choice. Incontrovertible evidence or tremendous public
pressure, both of which seem unlikely.
VelvetJones77: Do you think Monica will speak to the public now?
Gil Troy: I never would have predicted that Monica
would pose as she did in Vanity Fair. So I will certainly not hazard a guess as to what she will do.
Kewl18: What do you think should Starr's next move be??
Gil Troy: Starr has to focus on the obstruction of
justice charge and assess whether or not he has enough evidence for
that. He can also help rebuild his own credibility by specifying which
scandals will not yield indictments, thus showing the sense of balance the Clintonites claim he lacks.
bazookashoelaces: Do you think the American people will like or
dislike Mr. Clinton any more or less than they did before today?
Gil Troy: The American people clearly have a soft spot
in their hearts for Bill Clinton. This soft spot, of course, is in many ways due to the
overheated stock market. If the stock market begins to drop, so will Bill
Clinton's poll ratings. Richard Nixon's Watergate crisis grew by leaps and bounds after October, 1973 when the
Yom Kippur triggered the Arab oil embargo, which triggered the great
inflation, and you can chart the correlation between the drop in the
economy and his poll ratings.
atlas29: Do you think the attack on Starr tonight will backfire?
Gil Troy: It hasn't backfired yet, but it should have.
No defendant in the history of mankind has ever thought the prosecutor going after him was reasonable, judicious and fair. But Clinton read Starr's poll ratings before the speech, and knew that his henchman have made Starr the most unpopular man in America.
bingo3322: What happened to the Whitewater part of the
investigation?
Gil Troy: You have to connect the dots. Whitewater
did yield over a dozen indictments and convictions, but Whitewater
begat the Foster investigation, which begat the
Travelgate Investigation, which begat the Filegate Investigation, which begat the
missing papers from Hillary's law office investigation, which begat
Monicagate. And the theory is that its all about, (A) the vast right
wing conspiracy , or (B) a pattern of deceit and obstruction of justice.
Hangtime79: Do you believe that Clinton's Administration is more
scandalous then that of Harding?
Timehost: As an historian, where does this scandal fit in
comparison with other large scandals?
Timehost: And how is it likely to change the Presidency?
Gil Troy: The Harding/Clinton administration
comparisons are apt. Harding's crimes were minor and sexual in nature rather than a major attack on the constitution.
Timehost: Thanks Gil, for joining us this evening.
Timehost: I know you've got to run...
Gil Troy: You are very welcome. Thank you.
