A National Nightmare Is Ended . . . or Is It?
Leon E. Panetta, former chief of staff to President Clinton, is director of the Panetta Institute on Public Policy
The final votes are in. The trial is over. The long night of anger, frustration and disappointment has ended. Regardless of where one stood on the issue of removing the president, a collective sigh of relief went up from the American people when the gavel went down for the last time.
The nation must now move on. But can it? The answer lies at the core of impeachment itself and whether it was an isolated event or a symptom of something worse in American politics.
If we view the trauma as a singular and tragic phenomenon, hopefully not to be repeated in our lifetimes, then it may really be over. Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and William Jefferson Clinton were all historical accidents, their troubles the result of unique and terrible personal judgments, mistakes and politics. They were tied together by nothing more than their own unfortunate fate. Like a political Halley’s comet, the bitter trail of Clinton’s impeachment, with all of its recrimination and divisiveness, hopefully will fade into historical cosmic dust.
But what if this is not just a passing crisis? What if it is a reflection of some deeper political and institutional problems in this country that cannot be easily set aside? The answer to those questions will tell us a where the nation is headed, not just in the next two years but into the next century.
It is clear that the impeachment process has left behind a terrible trail of wounded democratic institutions. What the president did and how he lied to the American people has diminished the respect and moral leadership of the office of the presidency. Add to that the legal challenges that have hurt the ability of the Secret Service to protect the president and the ability of staff to provide honest advice to the president in confidence, and it is obvious that the presidency has been greatly weakened.
Congress, locked in partisan gridlock, has lost even more credibility. Although it fulfilled its constitutional responsibility, it will have a difficult time dealing with other issues without getting trapped by the same old politics as usual. Our judicial system, now unfortunately symbolized by the independent counsel law, is viewed by the public as just another arm of political vengeance. And the press is now seen as willing to stoop to any rumor, leak or innuendo to get the first headline.
So the wake left by the impeachment process is not pretty. But it is also not new. We have been through national traumas in our past, from unpopular wars to depressions to riots to impeachments, each leaving damage to our society and national spirit. And yet, we survive and become stronger with each challenge, because we have been blessed with the right leadership to bind the wounds and move on.
These words of renewal are being heard again. We all want to believe them. But the last 12 months did not inspire confidence in our leadership.
There were so many missed opportunities to bring this matter to closure: if only the president had been honest in January; if only Ken Starr had been fairer and more objective in his investigation; if only the House Judiciary Committee had been less partisan; if only the House of Representatives had been less partisan; if only the House of Representatives had been given the chance to vote on censure; if only the Senate had brought this trial to bipartisan closure with an agreed-upon censure resolution. Rather, we had to return to the genius of our forefathers and our Constitution to rescue this nation from all of the lost opportunities.
For impeachment to be really over, the national interest must prevail over the passion for political survival. For things to change, elected leaders must decide to compromise, to rise above the partisan message and to do what is right for the nation.
That is not going to be easy. Time and time again a serious constitutional process became part of an ugly pattern of political life in Washington consumed by sound bites, scandals, investigations, fund-raising and attack politics. Political power too often in recent years has been built on the ruins of institutions, careers and reputations. Impeachment, in a very real sense, was part of that dark side of politics that began with Watergate and continued to Iran-gate, Gary Hart, Justice Clarence Thomas, Speakers Jim Wright and Newt Gingrich, Speaker-elect Bob Livingston and, finally, this president. Does it now end? Everyone is saying the right words. But can they really change partisan trench warfare into bipartisan cooperation?
Perhaps the greatest hope for renewal comes not from their words, but from the great common sense of the American people. Despite the roller coaster ride in Washington, the people have remained steadfast. They did not like the personal failings of the president, but they also did not believe that they justified removal from office. They wanted the nation to move on. No matter how strident the arguments and the attacks, they maintained a sense of proportion in their beliefs.
The elected leaders would do well to listen more to the heartbeat of the nation than to their political consultants. The people, as the voters of Minnesota made clear, are tired of attack politics from both parties. More important, if the public believes that those they elect are putting the interests of the nation first, there is a better chance that we can repair our spirit and restore our trust in those who govern our democracy.
Impeachment may be over, but the jury is out on whether we can bind the wounds and finally move on.
