Don't Rush to Judgment

No one disputes that the behavior exhibited by the President in the Starr Report was crass and distasteful. However, it is exactly this visceral reaction that mandates that the American people and Congress resist rushing to judgement by calling for the President's resignation or impeachment. Reason must take precedence over emotion.

This matter is far from resolved. There is still much debate over whether Clinton's marital infidelity and lying about sexual behavior, as upsetting as they may be, constitute impeachable "high crimes and misdemeanors."

Forcing the president out of office now seems like an appealing way of bringing to a close an incredibly sordid and painful chapter of American history. But by doing so, the American people would achieve just the opposite. Rather than ending the debacle, Clinton's removal would ensure that we are left with a legacy of uncertainty about the appropriate level of scrutiny of public officials.

If Bill Clinton is pressured to remove himself from office on the basis of these charges, it raises the likelihood of unlimited intrusion into the lives of elected officials and potential candidates. Is this really the direction in which we want to push public life? What the American people crave is a conclusion. What they deserve is a thoughtful resolution to the difficult questions before us. --William P. Bohlen '01,   Sarah B. Jacoby '99,   Kathryn R. Markham '99,   Rustin C. Silverstein '99,   Talhia T. Tuck '00,   Alan E. Wirzbicki '01