Editorial: Clinton aims to save presidency

To say it was an extraordinary moment is an understatement.

President Clinton acknowledged to a national television audience Monday night that he had a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky -- something he had denied in public for seven months. The president admitted he misled people, including his wife.

When the president was first questioned about these allegations in January, the president didn't simply say, "It's none of your business." He went out of his way to dismiss the reports. But the public, including many of his supporters, now know that he was lying.

It was good to see the president accept responsibility Monday evening. But as he finished his address, he attacked Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation. While there has been much to fault in Starr's overzealous investigation, it's Clinton, not Starr, who had a serious lapse in judgment.

Some political observers felt that the president should have said more about his relationship with the former White House intern, giving details about the exact nature of the sexual relationship. Despite this belief there was no reason for an intimate discussion of the president's private life. The public rightly has grown weary of the constant drumbeat of these embarrassing details and has no appetite for an "Oprah-like" confessional.

While some Americans certainly will feel betrayed by the president's admission, initial polling suggests that the public would just as soon see this matter go away. Few condone adultery, but many Americans appear to believe that even a president should have a private life, which should be separated from his public duties.

So what's next?

It's too early to predict what the long-term fallout will be from the president's public statement and his testimony before a federal grand jury, which is looking into whether he obstructed justice and lied under oath in the Paula Jones' deposition about his relationship with Lewinsky.

It's likely that once Starr wraps up his inquiry he will send the investigation's results to the Republican-controlled Congress, which will then have to decide whether to hold impeachment hearings. So it appears it will be at least weeks, if not months, before the public has a more complete accounting of what happened.

Regarding the issue of a president's personal life, Clinton certainly was right Monday when he said that even presidents deserve privacy. The public seems to recognize this, giving him high marks in job approval ratings while at the same time disapproving of his personal conduct.

Other presidents have lied about substantial public policy issues and have suffered for it. No one suggests seriously that Clinton's indiscretions are on a par with Richard Nixon's transgressions that damaged the presidency, but at this point Clinton's personal problems may mar his place in history.

If there is one certainty in all of this, it is that the public wants to see the Clinton presidency succeed. Clinton still has two years left in office. There are a number of critical issues facing him both domestically and internationally.

At home he has made serious strides in getting attention focused on how to save Social Security, improving the nation's educational system, balancing the budget and protecting patients from managed care abuses. Abroad, several crises are facing America, including the bombings at U.S. Embassy buildings, faltering economies in Russia and Asia, and the threat of North Korea developing atomic weapons.

Americans are forgiving. If it is found that Clinton did not obstruct justice and did not perjure himself, then the American people certainly will continue to give him the support he needs to carry out important policy initiatives in the remaining two years of his presidency.

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