Clinton cleared in Paula Jones case

Jones lawyers described their client as 8220;very, very hurt8221; and said they were considering an appeal. The woman who shook the Clinton presidency with her charges apparently heard of the ruling over a cell phone during a drive. She pulled over to the side of the road and wept.

Rejecting Jones8217;s claim arising from her 1991encounter with then Governor Clinton in an Arkansas hotel suite, US District Judge Susan Webber Wright ruled that even if Clinton did proposition her crudely, it did not constitute sexual assault. Jones had not proven she was punished in the workplace or emotionally afflicted by Clinton for rebuffing him.

8220;Rather, the conduct as alleged by Jones describes a mere sexual proposition or encounter, albeit an odious one, that was relatively brief in duration, did not involve any coercion or threats of reprisal, and was abandoned as soon as Jones made clear that the advance was not welcome,8221; Wright wrote in her 39-page order.

The judge also noted that Jones did not miss a day of work over the incident, remained at her job for 19 more months, continued to go to the governor8217;s office daily to deliver things without asking to be relieved of that duty, did not complain to her supervisors and did not seek any counselling after the alleged episode.

Rejecting the pile of evidence that Jones8217;s lawyers proffered byway of proving a pattern of sexual harassment by Clinton involving other women, Judge Wright ruled, 8220;Whether other women may have been subjected to workplace harassment, and whether such evidence has allegedly been suppressed, does not change the fact that Jones has failed to demonstrate that she has a case worthy of submitting to a jury8221;.

Joy and celebration broke out among White House staffers before it was asked to be muted because of the myriad legal tangles the President is still involved in. 8220;The President is pleased to receive the vindication that he8217;s been waiting a long time for,8221; was the restrained comment from White House press secretary Michael McCurry to reporters traveling with Clinton.

In Washington, independent counsel Kenneth Starr said the ruling would have 8220;no effect8221; on his investigation. Legal exerts were saying however that Starr may have a more difficult time pursuing a charge that Clinton perjured himself in his own Jones deposition. Wright8217;s decision on Wednesday will haverepercussions far beyond the present case. Politically, it could resurrect a shaky Clinton. The man who goes by the sobriquet Comeback Kid and is considered one of the most resilient politicians in US history could now be free to work on leaving behind a lasting legacy he so badly wants to. Democrats could also get a leg up ahead of the mid-term Congressional election due later this year. 8220;The flagship of the right-wing armada has just sunk,8221; one Clinton supporter gloated.

The Jones lawsuit will also be come to seen as a landmark sexual harassment case. For the Republicans, the decision comes as a blow. Those who were considering impeachment proceedings against the President only last week may have to pause and wait till the euphoria of getting of the hook in this case wears off and other facts return to centrestage.

The other 8220;losers8221; appear to be the media, who were planning to descend on Little Rock, Arkansas, by the thousands for the proposed May 27 trial. Hotel rooms were being booked, renovatedand outfitted for TV networks spending hundreds of the thousands of dollars for the Big Story.

Judge Wright, incidentally, briefly studied under Professor Clinton when he taught law at the University of Arkansas. However, she is known to have Republican inclinations and opposed Clinton when he ran for Governor and later supported George Bush for Presidency. One story goes that Clinton once lost exam papers of the class and offered everyone a B plus. Wright appealed against it and got an A. The Jones story transfixed political America for nearly four years, in turns throwing up a host of characters like Kathleen Willey and Monica Lewinsky, and leading to an unprecedented scrutiny of the Presidential sex life and Presidential anatomy. In the time the story was reported, a whole new journalistic ethos was born and, in the eyes of many, journalistic rectitude was laid to rest.