Clinton Impeached

WASHINGTON: After months of anguish and partisan cries of doom, President Bill Clinton was finally impeached Saturday. The House approved only the two strongest of the four articles of impeachment; it struck down the second, perjury in the Paula Jones case, and the fourth, abuse of power. Clinton is now the first popularly elected president in the nation's history -- Andrew Johnson was appointed to succeed Lincoln -- to be impeached by the House. The articles were billed as "ultimate censure" but nevertheless were each marked with the same words: "removal from office." And no one is guaranteeing a Senate exoneration now.

But even if the President is found guilty in the first impeachment trial in 130 years and evicted from the White House, the United States and its presidency will easily survive -- because we’re ready for it, says veteran TIME contributor Hugh Sidey. "In 1974, I remember looking up at the little light in Gerald Ford’s office and wondering what was going to happen next," he says. "But we’ve been inured to this scandal. And the U.S. is stronger and wealthier now than ever before. We’ll survive. The Republic will go on." Certainly Bill Clinton intends to.