Still, some believe that statesmen and party elders should ultimately step in, noting that it took GOP congressional leaders to convince Richard Nixon to resign the presidency in 1974. Allen Lichtman, presidential historian from American University, said he could foresee a role for Carter and Ford. But he also speculated that a couple of ex-senators, Alan Simpson of Wyoming and Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, have broader appeal to both parties and could broker political peace. In December 1998, a couple of days after the House voted to impeach Clinton, Ford and Carter teamed up to write a joint op-ed piece in the New York Times. Our political institutions are called into question.
Public confidence erodes under waves of personal smearmongering.
Against such a backdrop of inflamed emotions, we are convinced that the public good requires a prompt and fair resolution of the impeachment issue. Of course, the Senate in fact went ahead and tried Clinton on the impeachment charges in a relatively speedy manner, voting to acquit him. If you experience any problems with the Daily News Web site, please let us know. Include the date and time of the problem and a brief description.