Morals: The President's Job?
Dateline: 10/16/98
Over September 15-17, 1998, a public opinion gathering company showed 700 adults in Illinois a list of four "jobs" of the President of the United States and asked them to rank the jobs in order of importance. The results?
- Economic growth -- 34 percent
- Domestic policy -- 25 percent
- Moral leadership -- 18 percent
- Foreign policy -- 7 percent
So, think about all the Presidents we've had. Which one was the best at each job? Nominations are now open.
Economic Growth
Franklin
D. Roosevelt (1933 - 45) His
New
Deal acts, programs, and policies save the nation from economic failure.
Domestic Policy
Lyndon
B. Johnson (1963 - 69) His
Great
Society waged
War
on Poverty and his
Voting
Rights Act of 1965 is acknowledged as the greatest victory of the Civil
Rights movement.
Foreign Policy
Richard
M. Nixon (1969-74) He negotiated the
Strategic
Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) Treaty with the Soviet Union which started
detente, which began the end of Soviet Communism, which led to the end of
the Cold War. He was received -- in Beijing (Peking) -- by
Mao Tse-tung. He finally managed to end America's
involvement in the Viet Nam War. And, in 1973, he and
Henry
Kissinger negotiated the cease-fire in the Arab-Israel War. Then, along
came the
Watergate.
Moral Leadership
Can you think of one? What do we expect a "moral leader" to do? Teach us
right from wrong? For that we have parents, religious leaders, and almost
2000 years of history.
When faced by a moral dilemma, have you ever wondered, "What would the President do?"
When we talk about "moral", could we really mean "spiritual" leadership? Lincoln held the Union together and put the country back together after the Civil War. Franklin Roosevelt did the same during the Great Depression and the darkest days of World War II. These men are revered as great Presidents because they faced and overcame great challenges. Yet, while arguably our greatest Presidents, they never proclaimed themselves the nation's "moral" leaders.
What the President has admitted doing was morally wrong. You knew it was, too. You didn't need TV or other polititicians to tell you why, either.
If we really expect our Presidents to be our mentors of morality, then maybe Mr. Clinton should be fired. But, do we really want that? Do we really want America's kids looking to politicians, TV and sports stars, or anybody but us, for their moral foundations? If we proceed to impeach a President based solely upon failure at "moral leadership," then perhaps we do. And I think that would be morally wrong.
The Opposite View
The legal -- constitutional -- authority for the current impeachment inquiry is based on accusations that President Clinton committed eleven acts in relationship to his personal association with Monica Lewinsky, which could be defined as "...other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." under Article II, Section 4 of the US Constitution. Specific criminal acts cited include lying under oath -- perjury -- and withholding evidence -- obstruction of justice.
On October 5, 1998, the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives determined by a vote of 21 - 16 that these accusations and evidence thereto warranted a formal impeachment inquiry by the full House of Representatives.
On October 8, 1998, in open session, the US House of Representatives voted 258 - 176 to accept the Judiciary report and begin presidential impeachment proceedings for only the third time in America's history.
The framers of the US Constitution fully intended the definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors" to be non-specific and open to the interpretation of Congress.
If, in its investigation, Congress determines that...
- Any, or all acts of which he is accused are true, and
- These acts are among "high crimes and misdemeanors", then...
... President Clinton must be impeached and removed from office.
Your View On This Issue?
Please share your opinion on the US Government Info/Resources Bulletin Board.
Your Election '98 Information Resource
Link Credits:
Grollier's,
Inc., Presidents of the United States
Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, New Deal, Great Society,
War on Poverty, SALT treaty
University of
Wisconsin
Henry Kissinger
Boise State
University
Mao Tse-tung
The Discovery
Channel
Watergate Incident
Hey, this stinking link won't work!
All the web links in this feature worked the day I uploaded this page. Promise.
But, since I do not usually go back and verify links in feature articles,
some links, like even good bologna, will go bad with time. So, if you find
a link in this feature that won't work, and you really, really want to find
it, just email me, and
I'll try to find the new link for you. Thanks for your understanding.
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