It should be noted that, despite the length of the investigation and the intense scrutiny of the President and his friends, Prosecutor Starr and the Republicans have come up largely empty-handed, except with regard to the President's behavior in the Monica Lewinsky matter. When the Starr investigation produced a now-infamous and, at times, pornographic report, I voted against the release of the Starr report because I felt the material to be unfair and inappropriate, and because the President and his lawyers did not have a chance to review the report before it was released to the public on the internet, and in all of the newspapers . The allegations against the President do not constitute high crimes and misdemeanors. They certainly are not comparable to high crimes and misdemeanors like treason or bribery. Even more, the resolution creates a political circus on the national stage, with no limitations in scope and length, no controls, no definitions, and no justice.
Today is a sad day for the country.
We can only hope now that, despite the past weeks and months, the Congress will proceed quickly with an investigation that is fair and, especially, limited in scope and length. The American people have stated that we must move quickly and get on with the work we were elected to do. The real immorality and scandal in this country is that, because of this partisan process, we have not been able to do the important work of preserving social security, protecting our environment, educating our children, or ensuring health care reform.