It gives a substantial amount of legitimacy to all of the flogging of Clinton that's taken place in many quarters. And some advisers concluded that censure might yet prove useful in shaping the historical depiction of this period. I'm not sure the president would agree with that. . . . Moreover, as some advisers see it, the best way to shape history will be for Clinton to finish on a political high and the best way for him to do that will be to secure major accomplishments on the policy front before the 2000 political calendar makes it impossible. In this view, restructuring Social Security or Medicare to avert financial insolvency will go a long way toward improving the Clinton legacy.
Aides clearly worry about the latter calculation.
In the view of many critics, it will not make a difference how the Senate trial ends because impeachment by the House amounted to the ultimate censure. Clinton's place in history, they believe, is set. If history's accurate . I don't think he's going to go down as the worst president ever. But he's going to be remembered as an embattled president who had problems with telling the truth and issues of morality. . . .