It is proverbial that old men plant trees as an act of faith, precisely because they know they won't themselves live to sit under their shade. In this spirit, we believe the time has come to put aside political differences and plant seeds of justice and reconciliation. In the wake of President Clinton's impeachment by the House of Representatives, America once again suffers from a grievous and deepen-ing wound. Our people are angrily divided. Our political institutions are called into question.
Public confidence erodes under waves of per-sonal smearmongering.
Against such a backdrop of inflamed emotions, we are convinced that the public good requires a prompt and fair resolu-tion of the impeachment issue. While our acts of pardon or clemency are not directly analogous to the decision pending before the Senate, how that body resolves the issue can have similar benefits of healing and finality. Fortunately, Senate procedures, through their flexibility and freedom, provide the means to end this national ordeal in ways that can uphold the rule of law without permanently damaging the presidency. Be fore the senators make history, we hope they will first turn to history for help in devising what would be, in effect, a unique punishment for a unique set of offenses. 130 years have passed since the last im-peachment of an American president.