--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "John" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "shempmcgurk" <shempmcgurk@> > wrote: > > > > More than 10 years later and I am still seeing references in our > > popular culture to Bill Clinton's infamous response to the question > > whether he ever smoked marjuana. > > > > And every time I see a reference or comment or joke about it on TV, > > radio, internet, or newspapers, it is virtually always with the > > assumption that Clinton was lying, i.e. that he actually did inhale > > or that he was trying to be disingenuous or trying to have it both > > ways or something by coming up with the "I didn't inhale" answer. > > > > Well, I totally disagree with this popular assessemnt and in fact > > Ibelieve that Clinton was being totally and completely honest with > > his answer. > > > > Despite enjoying the occasional cigar (which he may not even do > > anymore and which doesn't require inhaling), it is my understanding > > that Clinton has been a life-long non-smoker. > > > > Some people never start smoking -- indeed, never even try it once -- > > > and find inhaling cigarette or other types of smoke a totally > foreign > > and abhorrent to do. > > > > I don't know about all of you, but I know several people like that > > that I've met throughout my life. My aunt, for example, never even > > once tried smoking. My mother, who smoked for about a decade out > of > > some misplaced sense of sympathy or peer-group pressure for my > > father, never inhaled when she smoked. > > > > So when Clinton says he didn't inhale when he tried marijuana, not > > only is it totally plausible, I think that that is EXACTLY what > > happened! In other words, he was in a social situation where all > of > > his peers at that moment were indulging and he was passed a joint > and > > either not wanting to be a party-pooper or, simply, didn't want to > go > > to the hassle of resisting peer-group pressure, put the joint to > his > > lips and sucked on it but didn't inhale. > > > > In his innocence -- and considering that not inhaling smoke, > > cigarettes or otherwise, was his reality, his worldview -- when > asked > > during his presidential campaign whether he ever tried marijuana, > > his "yes, but I didn't inhale" was totally honest. > > > > And I would say admirable. > > > Someone at work called Clinton "Slick Willie" for his penchant for > dodging questions. His most infamous line should be, "I didn't have > sex with that woman."--with his wagging fingers flashed across the TV > set. It was fairly similar to Nixon's, "I am not a crook" line. > Clinton was lucky he dodged a big bullet, the impeachment.
To be accurate, Clinton did NOT dodge the impeachment; Clinton was, most certainly, impeached. Impeachment was the process of the trial in the Senate that was presided over by the Chief Justice of the Suprme Court, which occured as a result of a majority vote on impeachment in the House of Representatives. This all occured for Clinton, so he was impeached. What he dodged was being removed from office as a result of the vote in the Senate, which he won. > > > > > > >
