Last week I talked about two of my books that I encouraged you to read. I have one more, then I’ll go on to more current events again, starting tomorrow.
The saga of the Clinton impeachment needed to be told from the inside. That’s why when the impeachment proceedings ended in 1999, I decided to contact the thirteen House Managers who had argued before the Senate for the removal of Bill Clinton from office. They all received me graciously, I interviewed each one, and they gave me their side of the story. Why did they pursue this quest when public opinion polls said they should not? Even Republicans in the Senate tried to discourage them.
Why did they move forward and not heed the voices that were telling them to stop? It can be explained quite simply: they were acting on principle; they believed that no one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law. Everyone must be held accountable for their actions.
They were pilloried in the press for pursuing this goal; they were called self-righteous and holier-than-thou, yet they persevered. Ultimately, they were unsuccessful, but they were not bowed; they knew they had done their duty.
This book allows them to tell their stories. Each manager has a chapter devoted to him. You’ll meet the manager whose sterling reputation with his colleagues was never the same again when he undertook this task. Another manager was from Arkansas, Clinton’s home state; would he suffer politically for taking part in this effort? Still another represented part of Hollywood. How could he survive his role in the impeachment proceedings? In fact, he lost his next election, but he never regretted his actions; he put principle above incumbency.
Mission: Impeachable—The House Managers and the Historic Impeachment of President Clinton was a Main Selection in the Conservative Book Club back in June 2001. C-SPAN taped me talking about the book, and that taping appeared a number of times on C-SPAN2. It also led to a number of radio interviews, including the Janet Parshall program.
Frankly, I’m quite proud [in the proper Christian way] of this book and encourage those of you who want to know more about the impeachment and/or congressmen who understood the importance of standing for principle in politics to read it. There are important lessons for us all.
The book is out of print now, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t available. You can go to either Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com and get a used copy; prices and conditions of the copies will vary. It may be out of print, but its thesis is never out of date.