>I wish we could just brush this under the rug. If we're going to finish Clinton off, let's do it and get on with life....

I'm as weary of this whole business as anyone, but it bothers me that if the polls and random TV news interviews are any indication, Americans don't want to see this thing through to the end. The impression that I get is that we have never been much interested in carrying out the process of justice at all. Rather, we have found President Clinton's scandals pleasingly titillating, but now that the initial excitement is over, we really don't much care about grappling with any real issues.

The eventual resolution of this matter--by impeachment and dismissal, censure, or pardon (?)--will require patience, something that Americans sorely lack, especially with regard to politics. Our government should of course accelerate the process somewhat, since it is costing America money, but acceleration does not mean truncation--cutting the whole thing short and letting it just drop, as so many Americans desire.

Much of the debate surrounding the Clinton impeachment has been about precedents. If the Republicans are able and willing to impeach Clinton as a partisan power play, then a terrible precedent is set for improper use of impeachment in the future. I believe that if we lack the patience to seek a true end to this business wherein justice is carried out, then we also set a terrible precedent: if you are a scandal-ridden political figure, a workable strategy is to play for time and drag the thing out as long as possible, until Americans are tired enough to give up and let you off the hook.

Our democratic system, like any political system, depends upon the virtue of its leaders as well as that of the people it governs. Our system seeks to afford Americans protection against corrupt leaders by limiting the leaders' power and establishing balance between the governmental bodies. If Americans lack the virtue of patience in sufficient measure, they forfeit this built-in protection by neglecting to stick with the process of justice all the way to its end.

We should do something about President Clinton's unpresidential and illegal conduct. Some options are better than others, but fervently wishing for a simple cessation of the whole business shold not be an option. It is nearly the worst of our options, because with that attitude we give up participating in our own governmental system which is set up for our benefit.