Four decades ago, Mr. Welch called a halt to a sad period of national insanity: "Have you no decency, sir?" he asked. Today, where is the Edward R. Murrow we so desperately need?
The challenge we face - which must be conveyed to the American public - is one of strengthening the Constitution, restoring the dignity of the Presidency and the Congress, and determining the future direction of the Republic. We must practice 'restorative' politics at their best.
There are two key problems, one presidential, and the other, seriously dangerous, constitutional. The first is the President's current strategy unintentionally abets his tormentors. The second is an attack on due process.
Clearly, very little moves forward unless we can resolve the problems created by President Clinton's past choices and current actions. We must move ahead, focusing on the true nature of the process behind the allegations of his attackers. Meanwhile, his adversaries hide behind a screen of distractions.
The hubris and excesses behind the political tactics of the President's opponents must be revealed as an attack on due process. It is imperative that we understand what happened in August 1994. Why was Mr. Fiske replaced as Special Prosecutor? Was it due to incompetence? Or, as is widely suspected, was it for ideological political purposes? If Mr. Fiske's removal was prompted by partisan considerations, then the fruits of Mr. Starr's investigation come from a poisoned tree. If true, we are facing an unconstitutional attempt to destroy the core of our democracy - to undo the results of two free, open and fair elections.
What will the current scandal, regardless of outcome, mean for the American traditions of public civility, political tolerance and civil discourse? Are we in an era of increasing polarization? If so, what are the implications for political stability in the United States, and for the stability of even more fragile global social, political, and economic ecologies?
We must determine the political agenda which guides the Independent Counsel's referral and his continuing investigations of the Clinton Administration. What is Starr^Òs agenda and what is its purpose? Has he unethically made use of a perjury trap to create a crime where none existed? Specifically, what do Republicans expect to gain from their smear campaign and impeachment proceedings against Clinton?
What has been the role of mainline media in examining not just the political context of the Starr investigation, but more importantly, its implications for American democracy?
In the end, what is more dangerous to the Republic - President Clinton's attempts to hide an affair with an intern or a McCarthy-like attack on our basic constitutional protections? We must make a determined and principled pursuit of these critical questions before we can build the America we wish for the next century.
For additonal material, please see: http://www.salonmagazine.com/news/1998/08/cov_21newsb.html
Jonathan P. Gill worked in the White House Office of Media Affairs for the first 26 months of the Clinton/Gore Administration. He helped guide the opening of the White House web site in 1994, with the assistance of Dr. Harry J. Saal, then CEO of Smart Valley, Inc. Dr. Saal is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who serves on the boards of several high tech and non-profit organizations.