14 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 9, 1998 INVESTIGATING THE PRESIDENT Searching for the truth ' Clinton: Public, God will decide WASHINGTON (AP) - President Clinton tried hard to treat yesterday like a regular day. He stood with senior citizens and announced steps being taken to prevent HMOs from dropping Medicare patients. He denounced the attacks in Kosovo that threaten to again turn the Balkans into a humanitarian catastrophe. He huddled with his economic advisers. But the mood at the White House seemed as dreary as the rainy chill outside. Toward day's end, Clinton sat among his budget advisers in the Cabinet Room, clasped his hands on the conference table and declared the matter of possible impeachment out of his control. "It is in the hands of Congress and the peo- ple of this country - ultimately, in the hands of God," Clinton said. "I have surrendered this. I trust the American people. ... And I'm work- ing in a way that I hope will restore their trust in me." Earlier, Clinton's eyes locked into a pensive gaze as Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala talked about Medicare in the Roosevelt Room. He bit his lower lip, seemed to force a smile. He laughed harder than might have been expected as Rep. John Dingell (D- Mich.) jokingly declined to shake hands with the crowd because of a cold: "If I can find a room full of people I don't like, I'll be happy to shake hands with them." TV coverage of the House impeachment debate poured out of television sets elsewhere in the White House as Clinton gripped the podium with both hands and began to speak. "Since this is the only time I'll have to talk to the press for the next several hours, I hope you will indulge me for a moment while I make a few comments," he said, pausing slightly, "about the present situation in Kosovo." The violence there was unconscionable, he said, and NATO should be allowed to prepare for military action. And, closer to home, he promised a speedy federal review and approval process for health plans applying to enter markets being vacated by some three dozen other HMO plans because of fee limits on Medicare patients. "We were not going to allow Medicare to be held hostage to unreasonable demands," the president said. Afterward, the man who usually glides around to shake hands with supporters pro- ceeded to greet only a few, including Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Ted Kennedy (D- Mass.) behind a curtain of applause that drowned out shouted questions about the* House vote. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) hovered at the edge of the room with Kennedy, watching somberly with his hand on his face. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) arrived toward the end of the ceremony. Clinton took Dodd by the hand, escorted him to the microphones and thanked Dodd for being there - then turned on his heel and stepped out the door. The president did not see the House debate "unless he's watched it in passing, walkingO through a hallway," said spokesperson Joe Lockhart. AP PHOTO Preident Clinton and U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) announce a new health care initiative yesterday at the White House while the House debates the possibility of an impeachment inquiry. A partisan process The historic 258 to 176 vote to launch an open-ended inquiry into President .Clinton's actions will go down in history books as the second impeachment tnvestigation this century. But the other fcident, when the Judiciary committee Investigated Richard Nixon, was almost unanimously supported by both Republicans and Democrats in a 410 to our vote. Yesterday's vote was mostly Ivided along partisan lines, with only 31 Democrats voting for the inquiry and no Republicans voting against the nvestigation. -The Associated Press The real vote on impeachment will be Nov. 3 Few Dems voted fo r investigation WASHINGTON (AP) - Historic yes, but yesterday's vote was no surprise. The real suspense comes Nov. 3 when Americans elect a new Congress - in effect picking the jurors who will hear President Clinton's case and render a verdict. The outcome of that election could draw a road map for the House's impeachment hearings and Clinton's future. If Republicans pick up a lot of seats, say 15 or more in the House and five or more in the Senate, the GOP could be emboldened to push ahead aggressively with hearings delv- ing deeply into Clinton's behavior, not only with Monica Lewinsky but on Whitewater, fund raising and missile tech- nology transfers. But if Republican gains are modest and public opinion remains in the president's corner, Clinton's prospects for a pta bargain grow brighter, perhaps along the lines of the public rebuke suggested by former President Ford. "This election is crucially important in determining what the next phase of this inquiry looks like," said Thomas Mann, director of governmental studies at the Brookings Institution. The impeachment fight will not be a driving force in many campaigns, Mann said. Nevertheless, "the election results will be interpreted as a referendum on impeach- ment." The House voted 258 to 176 Thursday to launch the impeachment review against Clinton, only the third time in history that lawmakers have taken such a step. If the House decides to impeach Clinton, the case will move to the Senate for a trial where a two-thirds vote would be required to remove the president. The White House professed delight that only 31 Democrats - fewer than expected - joined in the impeachment vote. "You got a vote that was along party, partisan lines because they don't think the process is going to be fair, fast or focused," said presidential counselor Rahm Emanuel. That has been -and will be - the White House matra about impeachment. "This looks like a highly partisan inquiry at this stage," Mann said. "It's getting off to a very different start than the Watergate inquiry did. And given the public sentiment out there among the broad public, it suggests to me, absent addi- tional devastating referrals, that the president is certainly likely to survive all this." "What we can't say until after the election is how long the agony will go on." Boston University historian Robert Dallek said Clinton should take little comfort from Thursday's vote because only five lawmakers voted against both the Republican impeachment measure and the Democratic alternative. With most "voting for some kind of impeachment pro- ...X sn. L;, L 4" h ho " rlnac; Tt- a a _- Judiciary Committee begins witness list draft WASHINGTON (AP) - The House Judiciary Committee began drafting a list yesterday of potential witnesses in its impeachment inquiry, but lawmakers said they preferred wait- ing until after the November election to hold hearings. Sources close to the committee said it is likely to seek testi- mony from former White House intern Monica Lewinsky and her former friend Linda Tripp; Clinton's personal secretary, Betty Currie, and friend, Vernon Jordan, and Deputy White house Counsel Bruce Lindsey. The committee embarked on some "intense strategizing ... to see in what direction we want to move, what evidence we need to acquire, what subpoenas we need to " issue, and how fast we can do it," W hat they Chair Henry Hyde of Illinois, told reporters. de n on Behind-the-scenestalks between senior lawmakers and their aides will elecio dominate the committee's work between now and the Nov. 3 elec- tion, with hearings likely between then and the end of the year, Hyde said. "We don't want to be accused of politicizing this," Hyde said. "But we will be doing a lot of planning and interviewing and whatever's necessary to get ready to have hearings after the election." However, the committee's subcommittee on the Constitution has scheduled an Oct. 22 hearing on defining impeachable crimes. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said Republicans are waiting for direction from the electorate on how much support exists for Clinton. "What they will do will depend on the election," Frank said. Rep. James Rogan (R-Calif.) agreed that the Nov. 3 election could influence how the committee proceeds in the future. "If we came back with 10-15 more Republicans in the House," and gained seats in the Senate, "that could have a lot to do with a new attitude on (the Democratic) side of the aisle," he said. Judiciary Committee members eagerly shared their thoughts on whose testimony they consider crucial to the inquiry. Lewinsky, Tripp, Currie and Jordan are sure bets, several committee members said. Lawmakers of both parties want to question them on whether Clinton conspired with Currie to hide his affair with the former intern or tried to buy Lewinsky's silence with a job secured for her by Jordan. will do will The president, however, is not the -- Rep, Barney Frank likely to be subpoenaed, Hyde said. Inquiry rules say disagreements over subpoena targets must be resolved by a vote of the full com- mittee. (D-Mass.) Republicans are clamoring to call Lindsay but Democrats are likely to resist, pending a Supreme Court review of his executive privilege appeal. Democrats, meanwhile, want to call as a wit- ness Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, whom they accuse of conducting a politically motivated investiga- tion. Hyde has already rejected that idea, saying the Starr's moti- vations are not subject to his committee's review. Republicans also are considering calling witnesses not direct- ly related to the Lewinsky matter. For example, Rep. Steve Buyer in two public hearings has indicated that he considers Clinton's ability to lead and command the nation's military forces relevant. AP PHOTO U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit), the ranking Democrat on the Douse Judiciary Committee, has been one of Clinton's top congressional supporters. Michians 10 Democrats support Clitonifl* Representatives support Democratic proposal that would have stalled impeachment inquiry process WASHINGTON (AP) - Michigan's 10 Democrats in the U.S. House were united yesterday in voting against an impeachment inquiry that would make President Clinton subject to an open-ended investigation into whether ho should be removed from office. Several Democrats were undecided about their votes until the last day, and one, Rep. Jim Barcia, had been leaning toward voting for the Republican-written language for the House impeachment inquiry. But in the end, the delega- tion's Democrats said they could not support it because Republicans were pursuing an inquiry that was open-ended in scope and time. Only 31 Democrats supported the Republican measure. Instead, the 10 lawmakers swung behind a Democratic alternative measure that called for an inquiry limited to any evidence provided by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and would wrap up at the end of the year. That measure was rejected by the full House. All six Republicans in the Michigan delegation voted for the Republican-written impeachment inquiry, which passed. But the spotlight was on Democrats because the vote involved a president of their own party and came just one month before the November elections. "I reiterate my deep dismay at the president's personal conduct and his misleading the American people," said Rep. Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) who is facing a tougher rac, than most of his congressional colleagues in Michigan. Rep. David Bonior of Mount Clemens, the No. 2 House Democrat, took a lead in the House floor debate, accusing Republicans of plotting to drag out the inquiry for political advantage. "The Republican leadership's long-term strategy is very clear - drag this thing out, month by month and year by year ... for their own partisan advantage," Bonior said. "We in this chamber have the power to stop this daily mudslide into America's living rooms." House Judiciary Chair Henry Hyde (R-Illinois) said h wants to conclude the investigation as soon as possible - hopefully by the end of the year. Rep. John Conyers of Detroit, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, urged lawmakers to stick to that deadline. The lack of a deadline was the primary reason previously undecided Michigan Democrats said they voted against the Renublican-written inquiry language. ~IU 33 EL ~W35 ~ 5EIDkW~K~K~S