On Fri, Jan 14, 2000 at 02:34:14PM +0100, Volkhart Baumgaertner wrote:
> Of course, this is just my two cents' worth, from the viewpoint of a neutral
> observer from Europe, and influenced by European mentality which grants even
> people in high-ranking public offices a private sphere, especially if they
> are doing a good job in the position they have been elected to.
To an American, it's more simple than that: No man, no matter how good a job
he is doing, is above the law. The propriety of asking him the questions he
lied in answering had already been contested in court, and every court that
had been asked to consider the question had ruled that he must answer.
Therefore, he had a legal duty to answer, and answer completely and
truthfully.
What Clinton did would have landed a private citizen in jail. Americans
don't believe that their elected officials somehow gain the ability to break
the law with impunity merely by having been elected.
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|