It has been rightly observed that we are a government of laws and not of men, and, I would add, neither are we are government of the opinions of men and women. To follow the debate over the fate of the Clinton Administration, in the wake of the Presidents admission to having become sexually involved with a college student working at the White House, is to witness a national press corps unfamiliar with the aforementioned edict. With the intense media attention paid to the president's approval ratings before and after his half confession/half excuse speech, a passive observer might conclude that we live in a pure democracy, the likes of which was sought in the French Revolution. In such a realm, the Supreme Law of the Land is the Vox Populi, literally 'the voice of the people'. There is no law apart from what the people recognize to be the law at any given time. This was best illustrated to me recently by a security guard who approached as I read a front page story about the President and the polls and sarcastically asked, 'what is the law today?'. News flash to the major media networks: we live in a constitutional republic. We are governed by written constitution which defines, among other things, the rights, privileges and responsibilities of high office with great clarity. Under Article II, Section 1 the executive power of the United States of America is vested in the President. In the oath of office proscribed, a president commits to faithfully execute the office and preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. While the office brings with it the duties that attend the administration of the government, as President Herbert C. Hoover wrote, "The Presidency is more than executive responsibility. It is the inspiring supreme symbol of all that is highest in our American ideals." When a president fails to fulfill his oath of office, as is the case where the law is broken in a big way or a small way (another way of saying high crimes or misdemeanors), the Constitution provides for a mechanism whereby the legislative branch might impeach him. This may seem drastic to the average American. It is. Our founders intended it to be so because they intended the President of the United States to be the center of the government of the United States. Other constructs were considered, including the appointment of a prime minister-like president by the legislative branch, but all were rejected in favor of a strong and elected President. Alexander Hamilton defended this concept in 'The Federalist' writing, "the Executive is a leading characteristic in the definition of good government... it is essential to the steady administration of the law." Hamilton also cautioned against long suffering where a President failed to meet this high standard, writing, "a feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of government. A feeble Executive is but another name for a bad executive; and a government ill-executed... must be proclaimed a bad government." Against this recitation of the Supreme Law of the Land, only one sad conclusion attaches; President Bill Clinton must resign or be removed from the office of President of the United States.



Despite his absurd assertions to the contrary, President Clinton's admission to a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky stands in diametric opposition to his sworn testimony in the Jones vs. Clinton case. The President's responsibility to faithfully execute the laws of the land begins in his own administration. The President committed perjury. Perjury is a crime. President's who commit crimes should resign or be impeached. Further, the Presidents repeated lies to the American people in this matter compound the case against him as they demonstrate his failure to protect the institution of the presidency as the 'inspiring supreme symbol of all that is highest in our American ideals'. Leaders affect the lives of families far beyond their own 'private life'. In the Bible story of Esther we are told of a king who was charged to put right his own household because there would be "no end of disrespect and discord" among the families of the kingdom if he failed to do so. In a day when reckless extramarital sexual activity is manifesting itself in our staggering rates of illegitimacy and divorce, now more than ever, America needs to be able to look to her First Family as role models of all that we have been and can be again. The challenge for the Republican Congress lies in the fact that the polls may be right. The American people may deeply wish to move on and put this unpleasantness behind us. Regrettably, the Constitution does not permit such a national denial. If the President does not resign, the Republican Congress must impeach him even if it costs them their majority because the laws of this republic charge them with the duty to so act. Absent an uncharacteristic act of selflessness by the President, it is left to the Republicans to live up to their label and defend the laws and institutions of this Republic. If our leaders flinch at this responsibility, they would do well to heed the Proverb "if a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked". Our leaders must either act to restore the luster and dignity of the institution of the Presidency or we can be certain that this is only the beginning of an even more difficult time for our land. For the nation to move on, the President must move out.