The Supreme Court decided last week that Paula Jones can sue our president for sexual harassment while he is still in office. Any questions?
"How can the Court allow a piece of Arkansas trailer trash to take shots at the highest official in the land?"
Because another piece of Arkansas trailer trash dropped his pants in front of her. Seriously, in America, the most powerful people have no more rights than any backwater bumpkin. We refer to Billy as "Mr. President" instead of "Your Excellency" to denote that he is just another citizen, no better than us. If you doubt that he is accountable, please see "Nixon, Richard M." for further reference.
"OK, he's accountable, but why does he have to defend himself while he's still in office? Doesn't the president have more important things to do?"
You'd think so, but no. Billy doesn't seem to be working hard on anything except setting White House tea times for Chinese lobbyists. He's not undertaking any major domestic initiatives, nor is he making any progress in foreign relations.
And really, that's not even the issue. The president sought protection from the lawsuit, not because he was busy, but because he claimed to be in a position (commander in chief) vital to national security. Like a soldier on duty, you wouldn't want him distracted by redneck gold-diggers if you're depending on him to save the nation. That argument is sound, but only in times of national emergency, which greatly expand the power and privileges of the military. You might consider the Clinton presidency a national emergency, but the Court does not - hence the ruling.
"Isn't this just partisan politics in the guise of a legal issue? If Paula Jones was really that injured or offended at the time, why didn't she complain then, before Billy became president?"
I dunno. Why did Anita Hill wait until Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court confirmation hearing to accuse him of sexual harassment? Wasn't there a political motive there as well?
I think both women are opportunistic and political pawns who have not one ounce of shame, but you can't support one and not the other without choking on hypocrisy.
"But doesn't this decision by the Court ultimately hurt the nation by opening the presidency up to a ton of legal attacks?"
No, the Court's decision doesn't hurt the nation. Bill Clinton hurts the nation. Jones isn't the first woman to accuse Clinton of hanky-panky, and she probably won't be the last. Also, Billy has a history filled with draft dodging, pot smoking, questionable campaign contributions, curious business decisions and downright crooked friends. He's no angel.
Americans knew ugly matters like these would pop up if they elected Clinton. Voters simply decided character didn't matter, and now they must live with the consequences of that decision. The Court has not opened the Oval Office to legal entanglements any more than they pulled down Billy's pants. Ultimately, this is a ruling against the president, not the presidency.
Besides, it's not like it matters, anyway. If this trial takes Clinton out of office, that'll just give Hillary the opportunity to get more work done.
Jason Ginsburg is a senior
political science major.