The famed Watergate stool pigeon, John Dean, in a
December 8 article for FindLaw.com, has made a better
analysis than I in regard to Ray's intentions.
"*Ray told CNN's Late Edition he would give his decision
about indicting Bill Clinton 'very shortly after the president
leaves office in the best interest of the country, and also not
to unfairly tread on the new president's administration.'"
Ray has impaneled a grand jury, and called in Lewinsky for
questioning. And Dean continues.
"Robert Ray has not been twiddling his thumbs for over a
year in his job, not knowing what he plans to do with Bill
Clinton. Rather, Ray is waiting for Clinton to leave office
because it is doubtful whether a sitting president can be indicted."
Dean's article, written while the identity of the future president
was still in doubt, suggests multiple possible outcomes, but
Mr. Dean himself seems to lean a bit toward the following:
"While no president has ever pardoned himself, the law
supports the president's authority to do so. Scholarly inquiry
into the subject was provoked first by fear that Richard
Nixon would pardon himself to escape Watergate; later [the]
by thought that George H. W. Bush would do so because of
the Iran-Contra grand jury; and most recently by concern
about Bill Clinton's problem of a possible post-Presidency
indictment and trial. And while a few scholars have
concluded that the president cannot pardon himself, many
more believe that he can."
The former counsel to President Nixon suggests that the Big
Dog will chew on this bone, if at all possible, to avoid further
embarrassment to his family, and to put an end to ever
mounting legal bills. And here I part company with Mr. Dean.
Pardoning himself is the last thing Clinton would even
consider. The very notion is something that can only be
conceived by a Republican mind.
Another possibility that Dean suggests is a pardon for Bill
Clinton by the newly appointed Emperor Bush. After all the
pardons issued by Republican presidents to protect their own
hides (or Hydes), tossing a bone to a Democrat might be a
great way to legitimize that desired kinder, gentler,
non-partisan, compassionate conservative mantle. One thing
the emperor could use is a touch of legitimacy. Il Dubya's
handlers may believe that Clinton will be receptive to a
pardon, even though he has publicly stated that he'd never
accept one, for the same reasons Dean believes that Clinton
could decide to pardon himself.
Personally, I take Clinton at his word. And he has reaffirmed
that commitment to Dan Rather on the recent installment of
60 Minutes II. He would rather battle Ray on the merits (or
lack thereof) of the indictment. Accepting a pardon could
damage his legacy if impeachment is allowed to rise to a level
above what it actually was; an attempted coup by a cabal of
right wing goose steppers who rule the formerly grand old
party with an iron hand. By beating Ray in court, Clinton
further discredits his detractors.
Any indictment by Ray would likely never make it to trial
because the case is without merit. But even if it did, the
problems with going to trial against an ex-president are nearly
insurmountable. Where exactly do you find a jury with no
strong preconceived opinions about Bill Clinton? The
mythical beast befitting such a description is more likely to be
captured by scientists and caged for study.
Witness after witness, Republican and Democrat,
constitutional scholars all, appeared before the House head
hunters to testify that Clinton committed no indictable offense.
"So what," cried Henry Hyde, "an impeachable offense does
not have to rise to the level of an indictable one." Thus the
legal Republican pit bull is muzzled by the claims and
admissions of his owners.
One more assault on this extraordinarily popular leader
would immediately negate all claims of Republican
bipartisanship, and hand 2002 to the Democrats. These
Republican squirrels, trapped by their own bitter hatred,
gnawed off one leg by shutting down the government,
gnawed off another with impeachment, and are still caught in
the same trap. It would not surprise me if they are poised to
gnaw off another leg.
A smarter tactic for the Republicans would be to have Ray
announce that an indictment is imminent, then White House
script writers could manufacture a statement for the puppet in
chief that any indictment of Clinton will be met by a pardon.
The RNC could then fax off scripts to the Sunday morning
talking heads claiming the events as proof that Clinton is guilty
of perjury, and that the emperor is kinder, gentler, and more
compassionate than a president. This would prevent Clinton
from refusing a pardon, allow the president appointee to
show he would've if he could've, and prevent the Republican
squirrel from chewing into that third leg while the fourth and
last is still crushed in the trap.
However, such a plan wouldn't last more than a news cycle,
and would deny the hate mongers the chance to grind Clinton
into the dirt under the heel of a Texas sized boot. It would
also require the not so subtle admission that Clinton is better
at politics than DeLay and Lott. Clinton has found issues to
win the hearts and minds of America, while DeLay and Lott
have only offered more money for the rich, and paranoid
hatred for the rest of us.
The best plan for Republicans is to forget any indictment and
simply hope that Clinton fades away into ex-presidential
obscurity. They must set aside that pressing fear that Clinton
is yet a young man, and will return to toy with them again
someday. But hatred is a powerful force, which is why
Republicans attempt to use it to conquer opposition to their
unreasonable programs. Hatred is also blinding, and so there
are many things they may never see. They may never see the
damage they have done to themselves during the Clinton
years—never see the damage they have done to themselves
by rigging an election. They may never see Clinton as he
really is; a marvelously talented political leader with his finger
on the pulse of America. Those hateful, petrified little
squirrels, to use the vernacular of Clinton's native Arkansas,
may never see that this Big Dog can hunt.