should
ict more^
n presidency
ERIN GIBSON is a missing the report as “nothing but die details of
senior news-editor- a private sexual relationship told in graphic
M ial major and details with the intent to embarrass.”
M Daily Nebraskan h’s an’understandable spin on the news. As a
oditnr in longtime Clinton supporter; I was embarrassed
'* to hear the explicit, X-rated details of his
Enough is Plough. actions. Starrcould have^summarized die details
Rirthepasteirit of Chmonsaidtay for the sake of the country
months, the public, the Clmtonkfamify.
■ ■ media, Congressand the . Butte feet is he data tSlarr did his job
I ■ ■ courts have beenjedeed along by ^rou^, as rerpiire<imdmv«^ated every
■ . ■ leaked information and White allegation of CbnKm s behavior before releasing
■ House lies, while all Americans were a graphic, disturbing report _
X A ■ burdened by a mounting bill for TTte h^tory c^crtbe amd
mvestigatiii and defending Iheinde- ^W
cent,teSandiltolansofthe pertinentfects to determine
president of the UnitedStates. wbeteClinton upheld the duties of his office.
:■■*** si_ , The time has come to sav fiet The facts presented show our president lied
CLIFF HICKS is a senior
news-editorial and English major
and Daily Nebraskan opinion edi
tor.
Enough is enough.
The past eight months have become an
absolute media horror show as we, die media,
have overwhelmed die airwaves, printed pages
and die Internet with a bombast of information
regarding the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, and,
even by writing this column, I am contributing to
die fire.
The time has come to say: Shut up.
A lot of people have asked me if I am
ashamed of the president Not really. Am I
embarrassed by what heis done? I’m embar
rassed that he got caught, but it his personal
life, and it isn’t affecting my paycheck. Is there
anything I really regret about the whole issue? I
regret that everyone can’t let it go.
Both die media and the populace at large are
responsible for this insane circus act
We in the media are more ashamed of our
selves than we are of die president Full-grown
journalists have become schoolchildren, yelling
at one another about what they might (or might
not) have heard. Muckrakers like Matt Drudge
are considered “cutting-edge journalists.”
We’re fighting for ratings and ith pathetic.
All anyone wants is to try and top the compe
tition. “Do we have the first scoop? Can you get
it verified? Is it going to beat the rest?’
There^s a reason journalists are doing this, of
course: You want to know.
Whoever has the first news on the scandal is
watched more than anyone else. If a paper’s got
quotes someone else doesn’t, that paper will sell.
There is no second place.
When the report was released on die Internet,
it was flooded with a deluge of attempts to try to
gw me aosoiuieiy maecent report, i ve got strong
tolerance and I’ll confess, I read the whole thing,
but if this had been anywhere else on the Web, it
would be called pornography.
It's a stab of wicked irony that, had this report
been put on the Web a year and a half ago, it
would have put Congress in check with itself.
The Communications Decency Act, which
was overturned not too long ago, made text such
as the report obscene, but now that the CDA is
no more, anyone can read what would have been
deemed obscene not too long ago.
Newspapers have printed whole sections of
the report with disclaimers like, ‘This contains
graphic descriptions.”
Writ, no kidding. Then why would you print
it at all, if you’re that squeamish about it?
I’ve been debating the Clinton situation with
friends fora long time, and I’ve come to the con
clusion that his is not an impeachable offense
and we have to let it drop.
Sex is not a high crime, in or out of wedlock.
Lying about an affair is perjury, but who would
n’t lie about it?
I don’t care who he slept with, or how ugly
the intern is. It could have been a dog for all I
care. Ith none of my damn business what he does
in his private life.
^ the media can’t keep track of everything,
and wre shouldn’t have to. The public’s right to
know ends right about at the feint door of a per
Obsession with
president's inside
life should stop
son’s house, even the White House.
The intense amount of investigation we sub
ject anyone in the public eye to is inhumane.
“The Truman Show” isn’t unfeasible; in fact,
it’s becoming reality. Fairly soon, people will
want to see celebrities every minute of their
lives.
Smile, your life is “Candid Camera.”
If you were to become famous, for whatever
reason, would you want us to be able to watch
you get up every morning?
I look like hell in the morning - how about
you?
The bathroom wouldn’t be safe, friends’
houses wouldn’t be safe - there would be no
place safe from die evil eye oftbe cameras.
But maybe fhaft what you people want, and
if so, that in itself is more disgustingthan any
thing found in Stands Harlequin-esque report.
Do you really want people under surveil
lance? Are you that untrusting of your civil lead
ers and celebrities? Do you enjoy having every
iota of someone Is life at your fingertips?
Do you care that much about someone else’s
life and so little about your own?
The 24-hour “President” Network Oh . /
boy. n
You have an obligation to stop this:
Him it off.
Him off the television showing the
latest Ken Starr news.
Him off the television with first
hand pictures of the infamous blue /i
dress, with Bill Is spills still on it /
Don’t buy the paper that put /
Clinton on the front page. If you f f
do, don’t read the article about Ay
it o\
Better yet, write ’em a letter \
and tell them therefe more impor
tant things happening in the world
than who slept with Whom. M
It’s like high school, isn’t it? fl
When our president gets to second\V
base, dammit, people want to be ^
there with him.
But you can stop this.
You. You’re the readers and the
watchers, die audience and the client, th
reason we’re all here.
We’re here to give you what you
want, and right now, what we think you
want is this. i ;
Tell us we’re wrong.
Lambaste CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC,
TheWashington Post, The NewYork
limes, USA Today and everyone else
whoh beating this thing past death. ,
Turn off, put down and walk i
away. , I
We’ve already beaten this j 7 f
horse to the point of having glue.'
Ifyou don’t, the barrage will >1
continue, no matter how long it’s >|
important What do you know now
that you didn’t six or seven months
ag°? A.
The sooner we let this go, ^^JR
the better off we’ll be. Close
this torrid novel we the media are ^
forcing you to read, because you can.
Enough is enough.
out
President Bill Clinton should step down
before he further burdens Americans and die
government with impeachment proceedings.
The burden the president already has laid
upon the American people is great enough.
By lying, he broke the laws we trust his
branch of government to enforce.
By lying, he cheapened the office of die
presidency, an office that has been gasping for
life-giving public trust and approval since
President Richard Nixon.
By lying, he brought more distrust into a
political system where voters’ apathy overrules
their belief that leaders such as Clinton are
empowered by the people to represent the peo
ple’s interests.
Americans witnessed a leader who conve
niently forgot how his actions affected the peo
ple when self-gratification was involved. They
saw a leader who only acknowledged and
regretted his unethical behavior when his secret
got out and his ego was damaged.
Many people believe the shame in this scan
dal lies not in die revelation of Clinton’s actions
but in an intrusive media and a gossiping public.
Not so. An impeachment report-provided to
Congress by an independent counsel is rightful
ly news and should concern everyone governed
by the president
Others blame this scandal on Ken Starr,
who has pursued his job as independent counsel
with a relentless determination that has made
him appear to have a personal
vendetta against the president
Clinton’s lawyers, in a
preliminary rebuttal
Starr’s report, seem
to take this tack
bydis
unoer oam aoout ms aaunerous acts mat occurred
in our most revered publicly funded building.
Those facts show Clinton tried to obstruct
justice by launching a cover-up campaign dur
ing which he lied in order to save his own ego
and political agenda.
He also abused his power by having sex
with a subordinate employee and using White
House resources to coyer his missteps.
The president forgot he answers to the peo
ple; die president thought he was above die law.
His dishonest acts violated die trust of every
American, and they corrupted his respect
among congressmen and congresswomen to a
point where he may no longer be able to lead
effectively with the respect ^nd trust of our
highest leaders.
Ironically, several opinion polls show .
Clinton stiU carries a popular approval rating of
well more than 60 percent It seems the average
American is willing to accept the president lied,
because, hey, all presidents have lied It also
seems die average American doesn’t want to
prosecute him for lying about an affair, because,
hey, anyone would he about an affair.
Such beliefs only help further destroy the
integrityofthe Oval Office.
We, as Americans, must again demand our
highest office uphold the values of our land as
we define them today. Some claim we shouldn’t
care whether the president has affairs and lies
about them, because some past presidents have
had affairs without them being
w reported to die public.
1 Nonsense.
Americans’ votes and
opinions on the presidency are
not bound by historical
convention.
With our votes, we can
demand our president not
lie, cheat, steal or break his
./ covenants.
^ *v We can also demand he
not champion women’s
rights, then have his spin
doctors paint Monica
rr Lewinsky - his consen
sual sex partner - as a
lying, gossiping, chubby
cheeked girl enamored
with his powerful office.
And, until the next
election, we can demand
with raised voices and pens that
our president step down if he has
broken die laws of our land and thus
proven himself unfit for the presidency.
Adultery is not an impeachable
offense; perjury, abuse of power, witness
\ ^^tampering and obstruction of justice are.
/ \ Were Clinton not a leader in the most
1 wealthy, most elite power structure of our
country, he would have abandoned his
office months ago. If our own university
I president pequred himself after having an
I affair with a college-aged intern, an outcry
I would have demanded his immediate release.
Our leaders must obey our laws. To let
I Clinton slip by because his acts are so embar
1 rassing we don’t want to hear about or to dis
1 cuss them anymore - or to grant him lenien
\ cywiffihis high office-is foolishness.
\ He is human, but he also is our presi
' \ dent, and, out of reject for our country
k N \ and Constitution, we must hold him to
the ideals of his office.
We cannot lethkn continue with
injustice and debauchery while he is
president We must demand he step
f / down and allow a more fit
/ leader to continue.
/ Enough is enot^h