Carter and Ford said a bipartisan Senate resolution of censure should require Clinton to accept the findings in the resolution. But the compromise would also provide that the statement of acceptance would not become evidence in any future criminal proceedings. Following a highly partisan debate and a vote mostly along party lines, lawmakers approved two articles of impeachment Saturday alleging perjury and obstruction of justice in the president's efforts to cover up his affair with Monica Lewinsky. But the White House has indicated Clinton hopes to avoid a trial through some alternative means of punishment. Our political institutions are called into question.
Public confidence erodes under waves of personal smearmongering.
In making their joint appeal, both men noted controversial decisions they made to heal national divisions. Carter, a Democrat, granted amnesty to those who avoided the Vietnam War draft. And Ford, a Republican, pardoned President Richard Nixon after his resignation for his actions in the Watergate scandal. In 1976 Carter defeated then-President Ford in a close race, many believe because of Ford's decision to pardon Nixon in 1974. The Associated Press contributed to this report.