Word: congress
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...married too hastily, heedless of how different they really were: one charming and vain; the other fusty and proud. And both of them so needy. Then came the bickering, the betrayal, the recriminations--and the long, frosty silences. Now the question is: Should Bill Clinton and the Democrats in Congress stay together for the sake of the family, or would the party be better off if they went their separate ways...
...before Clinton came to Washington. In his 1992 campaign, he blasted the then Democratic House's "midnight pay raise," and even ran ads about it in New Hampshire. He railed against the 1992 House banking scandal and promised to cut congressional staffs by a quarter. Nor did the Democratic Congress have much experience working as a team with the Chief Executive. When Clinton took office, more than two-thirds of House Democrats and half of Senate Democrats had never served under a President of their party. Clinton aides called the relationship an "impossible embrace...
...Oval Office. I'm saying that many Americans have enough experience with temptation, addiction in one sense or another and the little lies that become big ones to look at President Clinton and say, "There but for the grace of God go I." As a Democrat in Congress has put it, "People understand human frailty better than political pundits...
...next? There's no sign yet that Mrs. Clinton plans to publicly forgive her wayward spouse, but there's little doubt in the White House that public absolution from her would be the ultimate weapon: Hillary has forgiven him, the spin would go -- once again -- so why can't Congress? Now would be a good time to strike, with polls showing growing public disquiet over the House's handling of possible impeachment hearings. Expect more attacks from the First Lady soon; she's not one to be passive with her tenure at stake. If her husband were impeached, of course...
Ready to rumble? Here's the setup: On October 5, The men and women of the House Judiciary Committee will debate in open session whether the Starr report warrants an impeachment inquiry. That means we get to see on TV the biggest collection of partisan idealists in Congress: 16 soft-left Democrats, 21 hard-right Republicans. Each one is driven not by his or her constituents -- they're all in extremely safe seats -- but by their own political conscience. And boy, what consciences! This is a committee that routinely handles such hot-button issues as late-term abortions, gun control...