HAVE YOU BEEN LIED TO?™
THE LIE:
No Senator who really believes Clinton is guilty
is going to acquit him.
WRONG!
Senator Robert Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, in an interview with Cokie Roberts that was broadcast, February 7, 1999, on ABC’s News Program “This Week” said, “The question is, does this rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors? I say yes.
No doubt about it in my mind. But the issue is should the President be removed? Should this president be removed? That’s the issue. And the Constitution requires that if he is convicted, he is automatically removed immediately with no second chance. So,
it comes down to the question-comes down to the issue, to remove or not to remove? That is the question.”
Senator Byrd went on to say, “I’m voting-if I vote not to convict, I’m voting not to remove because conviction carries with it removal. I have no doubt that he has given false testimony under oath. And that he has misled the American people and that
he has-there are indications that he did indeed obstruct justice. But having said all of that, under the circumstances-he has less than two years to serve, he has done a lot of good things, and the American people don’t want him removed. And in the
interests of our country, I may come to the conclusion that we should not remove him for these reasons.”
There was more to the interview but nothing was said that would contradict what was quoted here. When asked directly by Cokie Roberts, “So will you be able to stand and say not guilty?” Senator Byrd responded by saying, “Next Friday or before we will
know.”
As Cokie Roberts said, Robert Byrd is a guardian of this institution referring to the Senate and that he cares about all the American institutions. That observation could be agreed with until now. In fact I applauded Senator Byrd for his brave stand
in voting to protect the sovereignty of the United States in the GATT/WTO battle. His vote against the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, H.R. 5110 and the establishment of the World Trade Organization set him apart from others who were towing the party line.
President Clinton pushed hard in November 1994 to fast track the GATT/WTO agreement through a lame duck session of Congress. Senator Byrd stood up to his own President valiantly and not only communicate he would vote against it but took a leadership role
in attempting to defeat it.
In this interview Senator Byrd seemed to communicate in his interview with Cokie Roberts that it was a bigger threat to the country to remove this president than to sacrifice the institution of impeachment by voting to acquit a president who is in his
mind guilty of the charges.
In fact Senator Byrd said, “Well, there are many other factors that we also have to take into consideration. In these remaining two years, I can turn my back on this. I can close this as a chapter. I think we all ought do that and think of the healing
of the country. And so I have to think when I vote, should he be removed or should he not be removed? What’s in the best interest of the nation? We have-there has been such polarization, such a division among the American people and to remove him, does
it help that? Or does it make the wound deeper? And it seems to me that in the best interests of the nation-and no president will ever be removed in my judgment when the economy is at record highs. People are voting their wallets and in answering the
polls. They don’t want him removed. They know, as I know, about the wrongs he has committed.”
What we have here is that Senator Byrd does believe that Bill Clinton is guilty. Let me quote him again, “I have no doubt that he has given false testimony under oath. And that he has misled the American people and that he has-there are indications
that he did indeed obstruct justice.” It is incredulous to me that any Senator could believe this would be better for the country.
At a time like this we need Senators who will look at the long term implications that acquitting this president will have rather than at the short term discomfort removing him would be.
I have more confidence in the stability of this government than Senator Byrd does. I believe this great American institution which survived the resignation of Richard Nixon can survive the removal of a “popular” president like Bill Clinton.
In fact it is more likely that the wounds and divisions caused by this president’s actions that Senator Byrd spoke of would heal more quickly with him removed rather than acquitted. It would seem to be easier for a nation to heal after a guilty man
has been removed rather than after a guilty man has been left to now bring vengeance upon those who prosecuted him for his impeachable offenses.
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© copyright 1999 Citizens For A Better America ® (CFABA.org)
Publisher of the Have You Been Lied To? ™ Flyer
Robert Colaco, National Chairman, Founder.
F.E.C. ID #C00278333
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