HE ILY Yes, he did something immoral and makingthat lie, hegot himselfmore Daily Editorial Board unethical, but in terms of being in line with Nixon because in a No matter where you go these illegal, that question really hasn’t political scandal you don’t lie, days, there is never a shortage of been answered. He may have per- because ifyou lie, itwillcomeout. conversation regarding the sex jured himself, but he perjured him- As soon as he lied, he changed the scandal involving President Bill self when asked about sex, and 1 nature ofthis whole thing. He re- Clinton. By no means is the Tufts don’t really see that as a major duced his credibility and really campus an exception. issue,” he said. touched off an ugly scenario. The Despite the constant attacks Chinesadded, “This is especially American people just don’t want that have been recently made true if comparing it to some of the to hear ’it didn’t happen’ if it did against the President, he maintains things that have happened in previ- happen,” he said. a considerably high approval rat- ous administrations.Lying about an Professor of Political Science ing. Tu& CornunityUnion Presi- affair with Monica Eewinsky in my Jeffrey Berry says the nature of dent Yack Schniiman, for one, feels mindisnotthesameas participating this situation is not nearly as seri- that the nation should be concen- the Iran Contra scandal or partici- ous as the Watergate scandal. trating on more pressing matters. pating in Wztergate.” “Watergate was much different in “I personally think that the Chines does acknowledge that the gravity of the offense. Presi- president’s personal life should the attention which the scandal dent Nixon engaged in aconspiracy remain personal, and 1 think it’s has received is not necessarily to cover up crimes that were com- very unfortunate that it has not inappropriate. mitted really against the demo- remained personal. It hurts his fam- “The President is the leader of cratic process,” he said. thevote inthe Senate,andasofnow, that the President’s conduct and ily and himself and his ability to the country and the way the Presi- Chines says that he expects the it’sunlikelythattheDemocrats will the conduct of individual demo- govern, and it makes the United dent conducts his or her life is Resident to remain in office. “I provide that margin,” he explained. cratic candidates across the coun- States look silly in the eyes of important. The President is a sym- don’tthink that there are sufficient However, Berry does say im- try are two entirely separate is- other countries,” Schnirman said. bol of our nation and should be grounds for impeachment, and I do peachment hearings should pro- sues,” he added. Schnirman, who notes that he expected to behave in a certain not think that the President will ceed. “I think the impeachment “Certainly itwill affectthe party himself is a former White House way. Other than that, there are resign. He still has a great deal of process should go forward. I think in the short-term, but the Republi- intern, also blames RichardNixon questions of whether or not the support among the American that Chairman [Henry] Hyde [R- cans in Watergate are a lesson that and the Watergate scandal for in- President did anything illegal and people and in Congress,” he said. Ill.] is right in saying that it is in the long-term, it’s unlikely that directly creating the situation that these are questions that do have Schnirman also says that he premature foradeal ofsome kind. it’s going to damage the party,” exists now in Washington. to be addressed. My concern, expects the eventual outcome to I think it would be better if the Berry said. “The nature ofthe relationship though, is that it’s being done in 5; fall short of impeachment. House Judiciary Committee came Schnirman notes that the situ- between the president and the way that is not fair to the presi- “I thinkthat impeachment hear- to some kind of consensus as to ation may prevent highly capable press has changed a lot since dent,” he explained. ings will begin, and they will move what would be an appropriate people from entering or remaining Watergate because of the way Schnirman also feels that forward, but he will not be im- punishment,” he said. in the field of politics. President Nixon abused the press Clinton has been treated unfairly, peached. There will only be cen- As for the future of the presi- “I think it gives you a really and because they were so suc- and attributes this fact to the role sure. He will remain in office and dency, Berry feels that no serious strong sense of what you are get- cessful in lezding tohis downfall,” of Kenneth Stan-. “1 think a huge what happens in the remainder of impact will be felt by those who ting yourself into. It already has he said. problem here is the independent histem will really bethe test ofhim hold the ofice in the future. “I think discouraged a lot of people from SC~C~FXCsaid he zlso feeis cs:uI1p:! S+’?J:F’. The \““y it’s c2:- ES c Ic~iz:. C?: car250cnd and be tbzt the impact will be short lived. getting involved in public life. The the Republican Party is to blame rently set up is just not conducive an effective leader, then that should The presidency is aremarkably re- country has already been deprived for bringing the scandal to the to an even-handed situation. You be a strong statement for him. If he silient institution. Thatconcern was of a lot of good leaders. You can heights it has reached today. ‘‘In basically have a guy who, if there can’t, that should be a strong state- demonstrated during Watergate, lookat Mario Cuomo, Bill Bradley, my opinion, itsurfacedvery much is any allegation of wrongdoing ment for him as well,” he said. but we had a strong President or Colin Powell. You can even because Republicans and other concerning the President, you Wile Berry’s view is consis- shortly thereafter in Ronald Reagan. throw Gary Hart into that argu- right-wing elements did not ac- have hired to investigate the Presi- tentwith Chines’ and Schnirman’s, So I don’t think that there will be ment, even though he made the cept !he I992 and 1996 elections, dent with no parameters and no Bemywarnsthatalackofexamples any long-term, lasting damage to same mistake as Clinton. These anddecided that ifthey can’t bring sense of perspective for any from the country’s past makes it the presidency,” he said. are people that would make great him down on the ballot box that length,andIjustdon’tthinkthat’s hard to say what will happen with Schnirman holdsasimilarview, leaders but decided not to serve,” they willtry to bring him down by the way things should be done complete certainty. saying one president’sactions can he explained. scandal,” he said. here,” he said. “There’s no real analogue to this not have enough impact to alter Those already in politics are Jon Chines, president of the However Schnirman says the in the history of the presidency, so considerably the nature of the certainly not without their opin- Tufts Democrats, echoes beleaguered President could have there’s a good deal of position itself. “The presidency is ions as well. Michael Capuano, Schnirman’s opinions, saying that averted many of his current unpredictability. The most likely what you make it, and the presi- who has served as the mayor of what the president did was wrong troubles if he had told the com- outcome is that there will be some dency changes with every presi- Somervillesince 1990andwill face is irrelevanttohisabilityasaleader. plete truth from the onset. punishment short of impeachment dentthat’s in it. The lasting effects Phil Hyde for the congressional “I think the President should “When this came out, he lied. because to convict a sitting Presi- are not on the presidency itself, seat in the Eighth District in No- fill out the remainder ofhis term. There’s no getting around that. In dent, you have to get two-thirds of but I think it only will increase the vember said that at this time, the adversarial relationship between offenses listed in Kenneth Starr’s the press and the President, and I report do not appear impeachable. think it will encourage cynicism ChrisGabrieli, whoalsop&ici- and apathy in the electorate,” he pated in the recent Democratic said. primary, echoes Capuano’s senti- Chines thinks that scandal ments, adding that he is more con- mightactually have some positive cerned with the people in his dis- effects on the presidency in the trict than the President’s sex life. longrun. “lfanything, I think that Some candidates who partici- the presidency will come out of pated in the primary, however, are this stronger because it will have not as sympathetic to the Presi- survived the attacks and the alle- dent. John O’Connor has an- gations that have gone on in the nounced that he feels that Clinton scandal,” he said. should resign, and Ray Flynn has Chines also is not concerned made it clear that he is very disap- about the scandal having an im- pointed in the President. Flynn pact on the Democratic Party. “I added that he finds Clinton’s be- don’tthinkitwill haveany impact havior reprehensible and is ap- onthe Democraticparty atall. Most palled by the situation. people understand that what the CharlesYancey,amemberofTufts’ President does in his private life Classof 1970andwhoranintherecent really has no reflection on those primary,also isoffendedbyClinton’s who share his political values.