You Can’t Swallow the Truth: The Ethics of the Clinton Impeachment

In this essay, the author

• Analyzes the ethics of the impeachment of former president bill clinton with regard to original constitutional intent, historical precedent, and the political climate during his administration.
• Explains that the philadelphia convention was the result of failing autonomous states and too weak a central government set by the articles of confederation.
• Explains that the framers of the constitution were divided on using impeachment as a check on the executive branch.

• Analyzes the ethics of the impeachment of former president bill clinton with regard to original constitutional intent, historical precedent, and the political climate during his administration.
• Explains that the philadelphia convention was the result of failing autonomous states and too weak a central government set by the articles of confederation.
• Explains that the framers of the constitution were divided on using impeachment as a check on the executive branch.
• Analyzes the tribulations of two presidents that helped set precedents and bring about corrections to the impeachment process.
• Explains that nixon's complicity in the watergate cover-up involved abuses of presidential power that characterized impeachable offenses. the independent counsel statute created a special prosecutor that reported to the legislative branch.
• Explains that the path to clinton's impeachment began in 1994, with two simultaneous controversies taking place in the president’s home state, arkansas.
• Analyzes how starr and tripp's meeting of the minds was coincidental and critical to both parties' interest in bringing down the president.
• Analyzes how lewinsky was forced to testify against clinton or face severe jail time. the house judiciary committee initiated a congressional inquiry into the matter. conservatives hoped to take advantage of clinton's scandal during the 1998 midterm elections by continuing the moral smear campaign.
• Analyzes how the republicans pushed the articles to indict the president to a vote by the full house of representatives.
• Analyzes how the senate trial of president bill clinton was a legal quagmire for both sides, as it depended on interpretation of laws, definitions of "sexual relations" and even clinton's use of tense in his testimony.
• Analyzes how the senate stood as the last test of constitutional protection with regard to the president. the house managers argued that clinton's actions were indeed public and corrupt.
• Analyzes how the senate vote was not close to the supermajority, but major damage had been done to almost everyone with a hand in the scandal.
• Analyzes how morris points out a particularly revealing pair of quotes made by the major players of this story. these almost identical statements reveal an arrogance that seems to accompany the power of politicians.
• Analyzes how newt gingrich's intent can be understood by examining his many duties, as defined by immanuel kant.
• Compares clinton's affair with the story of david and bathsheba. ludwig and longenecker provide three aspects of leadership failure that both clinton and david share: privileged access, control of resources, and personal ability to control outcomes.
• Analyzes how bloch adroitly points out there are 2 narratives that have been sold over and over again. the importance of the issue is not in which side is more correct, but in understanding that both have truth.
• Opines that the public has come to terms with the humanity of presidents and defined their priorities according to this reality.
• Explains aaseng, n., famous trials - the impeachment of bill clinton.
• Explains that bloch, s. l., (2003), a report card on the impeachment: judging the institutions that judged president clinton.
• Explains fernandez's book, high crimes & misdemeanors: the impeachment process.
• Explains keeley's the trouble with transformational leadership: towards a federalist ethic for organization. ethics, the heart of leadership.
• Explains linder's introduction to the impeachment trial of andrew johnson.
• Cites madison, j. (1787, november 27). federalist, no. 10, 56--65. electronic resources from the university of chicago press books division.
• Cites otto von bismarck quotes from thinkexist.com quotations.