Lewinsky weakens Clinton's internal affairs

By J. Quinn Martin

At Macalester College, and in fact across the nation, people seem to be paralyzed in a state of apathy with regard to President Clinton’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky and his subsequent attempts to conceal it. People seem not to want to recognize the ramifications of having a U.S. President who has lied to the American people. These ramifications are great.

Perhaps the consequences abroad are even more significant than those here in the United States. All around the world, the United States’ image as a democracy to be emulated and a military force to be avoided at all costs is declining.

D-New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (NY) recently spoke about the international effects of the President’s problems on ABC’s This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts (Sept. 6, 1998). "We have so many things coming on in the world that we have to be ready for and be able to deal with. This [the President’s dilemma] is a distraction which is doubly dangerous because of the world’s situation." Later in the broadcast, Moynihan and syndicated political columnist George Will enumerated some of these particular global trouble spots, mentioning Russia’s current crisis, the use of ballistic missiles in North Korea, the economic situation in Japan, the potential for military conflict and the building of biological weapons in Iraq, and the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

A few weeks ago, we were reminded of the continual danger lurking in Iraq when U.N. Weapons inspector Scott Ritter resigned claiming that the Clinton administration had interfered with at least six inspections since 1997 in an attempt to avoid conflict with Saddam Hussein. It is difficult for a weakened President to deal decisively with a foreign military threat. Hussein has repeatedly proved to the world that he has no respect for democratic processes and will cooperate only in the face of force. He has continually tried to take advantage of weakness. The United States’ current state of weakness has made the world more susceptible to Iraq’s potentially destructive actions.

Just a few weeks ago, the world received a violent reminder of the ever-present threat of terrorism as U.S. embassies in Afghanistan and Kenya were bombed. Immediately following his testimony before the Independent Counsel, the President ordered counter-attacks against bases of the organization responsible for the embassy bombings. The timing and justifiability of the attacks was immediately questioned by some members of Congress, the news media, and many Americans. People thought it was possible that Clinton ordered the bombings to divert media attention from the Lewinsky affair. Wisely, legislators issued statements supporting the military action and saying they thought it impossible the attacks were politically motivated. Undoubtedly, though, the terrorists who committed these bombings and terrorists contemplating future acts were sitting at home watching the United States unsuccessfully trying to project an image of unity and competence. The United States only opens itself, and the world, up to more acts of terrorism when it seems not to know how to deal effectively with terrorist situations even when it knows who the perpetrators are.

"There is a crisis in Russia greater than any we have known in our lifetimes," Senator Moynihan said on the September 6 edition of This Week. He is correct. Russia faces a crisis that the United States can directly and indirectly impact. As each individual Russian citizen weighs the idea of returning to socialism, he cannot help but look to the United States and how its capitalist, democratic history is serving its people today. Today, to a young Russian man who follows the news, the United States is weak, with a dangerous political situation. What die-hard Clinton apologists refer to as his "personal problems," have spawned this image of weakness, this susceptibility to crisis.

For the safety of the world, it is imperative that the United States promote an image of strength and unity on every level. The United States is the most visible nation in the world because of our economic and military might, but also because of our advanced technology in internationally pervasive forms of media and communication. Everyone is watching us. Everyone is depending upon us. There is no doubt that President Clinton’s actions have crippled our ability to appear strong in the face of terror, to effectively stand up against aggressors, and to be a role-model for democracy.

It is time to end the apathy. It is time for loyal democrats, loyal Clinton supporters — the feminists, public education organizations, pro-choice groups, and others — to pull up their support and move on. It is time to shed our numbness to the problems of the world, and to leave behind the man we have faithfully supported for the sake of the greater good.

J. Quinn Martin is a first year and a guest columnist for The Mac Weekly.