Max writes: >If Clinton was so vital to the Republican >cause, they wouldn't be about to impeach him. I wouldn't say that Bill "little head" Clinton is vital to the GOPsters. But he does help their program (though not necessarily their individual careers) a lot, by taking over their initiatives as his own, with relatively minor changes (e.g., Welfare Reform). (BTW, I see no reason to put "Reform" in quotes here. There's nothing about the word that suggests that it's always a good thing.) Further, it's important to realize that the GOPsters (like the Demoncrats) are not a unified force. As a political scientist pointed out to me, the Hyde-bound House Judiciary Committee is filled with ideologues. Those representatives who emphasize getting special benefits for their districts strive to get on other committees. Thus, the Judiciary Committee's agenda can differ greatly from that of other Republicans, such as the incoming Speaker, Rep. Livingstone, who clearly would like to kill the whole matter. Efforts to harass Clinton and his administration -- which started in 1992 and culminated in the current impeachment hearings -- have also played an important role in ensuring that Bill and his Merry Men have been pliable, responding warmly to a whole host of GOPster iniatives and appointing corporate type to the Supreme Court. Now it's true that Clinton was already pretty opportunistic and in most ways indistinguishable from George Bush, his GOP predecessor (except that some argue that the latter was more willing to stick to his stated principles). But in the general GOP perspective, Clinton can never be pliable enough. The campaign against Clinton is a lot like Reagan's against Nicaragua: every time the Sandinistas made a concession, the Reaganauts would add new demands and new punishments. By keeping up constant pressure, the GOP can ensure that Bill stays in their pocket as much as possible (given his need to maintain support from his base constituencies, bring in the big campaign contribution bucks, and to keep focus groups happy). Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] & http://clawww.lmu.edu/Faculty/JDevine/jdevine.html
