After sex and lies, videotape comes to haunt Clinton

Republican leaders are pressing to make public the videotape to further corner Clinton. The tape reportedly shows the President angry and bristling when asked about the sexual relations, somewhat in the same vein as his angry, finger-wagging denial of an affair with Monica Lewinsky earlier in the year. The Republicans obviously hope the public airing of the tape will further wreck Clinton politically, although move to release the tape is being presented a free flow of information.

The Congress is expected to take up a vote on this issue as early as Tuesday or Wednesday and the Republicans areexpected to win the vote. The tapes, with about four hours of testimony, could be airing before the weekend.

In his testimony, Clinton is said to repeatedly lose his cool as he is asked explicitly about his affair with Lewinsky. His legal parsing of the definition of sexual relations and his way with weasel words is also expected to further irk those who see it, confirming the growing impression that the President is mealy-mouthed.

Congressmen are also ploughing through another 2000 pages of appendices and considering whether they are fit to be released.

Meanwhile, lawmakers on the Hill are wrestling with the next move in the political and constitutional face-off. While some hard-line Republicans are pressing for impeachment hearing, the majority opinion is homing in to the option of a reprimand for the President.

One of the options being considered is what is being called a censure plus,’ — the President is rebuked by the Congress and asked to pay the costs of the investigation. One law makercalculated that the President’s moves to delay the investigation cost the tax payer $ 4.4 million and he ought to pick up the tab.

But White House lawyers and spinmeisters are fighting every inch of the way to get Clinton off the hook as lightly as possible, perhaps with a gentle rebuke.

The President is under pressure from lawmakers, including his own Democratic Party legislators, to stop the legal quibbling and accept that he lied even if means admitting to perjury charge, so that they can give him a slap on the wrist and get back to work. But experts say while doing this may be politically expedient, it is legally hazardous. It may open up another legal can of worms.

The President meanwhile is getting back to the business of governing and proving to his doubting party Thomases that he is still a political force. Clinton was in New York on Monday, delivering a major foreign policy speech at the Council for Foreign Relations and attending fund-raisers with First Lady Hillary Clinton in the night.

ThePresident raised more than $ 4 million for the party at the $ 50,000 a plate dinner, proving once again that he is a major money spinner.

Attending an evening performance of The Lion King was probably the balm he needed for his wounded spirits. Hakuna matata is the last thing he can say now, notwithstanding the rousing reception he got from his New York constituents.

Clinton returned to Washington where he has a welcome visitor to town in Czech President Vaclav Havel to showcase his foreign policy agenda.

The White House also confirmed that the President is seeking pastoral help for his troubles. He has chosen two ministers to serve as a team of personal spiritual advisers that will meet and pray with him weekly and help him resist what one of the ministers calls “the temptations that have conquered” the president in the past.