Where I Stand: Efforts to sink Clinton are counterproductive, costly

Wednesday, May 14, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

IT'S GOING TO BE a long, hot summer. And I'm not talking about the weather, either.

I may be one of the last people who write columns for a living who will jump on the anti-Clinton bandwagon which is rolling through a town or city near you. One reason is well-known to those who know me. The president is a friend who has given me no good reason to believe he deserves the kind of treatment he has received almost since the day he first took office. And friends don't abandon friends just because the going gets a little rough.

Another reason I am reluctant to join so many others in this business who want to have already predicted presidential disaster just in case it actually happens, is that I don't believe any good purpose is served by joining a chorus of doomsdayers other than to create an atmosphere of pessimism from which many great nations ultimately succumb.

It seems far more constructive to me as an American citizen that we spend our time and finite resources seeking solutions to our national problems -- like nuclear waste, welfare reform and Social Security -- than on special prosecutors, congressional investigations and prosecutions by media leakage which so far have turned up nothing significant enough to sink a presidency.

That's because, in the end, when the tens of millions of dollars are spent and the prosecutors have questioned their last of hundreds of witnesses, the proof of the pudding will be whether there is enough evidence not only to indict a sitting president but convict him as well. Anything short of that standard will create a political maelstrom in this country from which we may not recover in this generation.

Now I am not naive enough to believe that everyone agrees with my position. In fact, I know there is a loud minority that gets goose bumps at the thought of an indictment or conviction of this Democratic president. Even the thought of publicly ridiculing his wife gives these people a reason to get up each morning and hope for the worst.

By the same token, there are a great many people who would refuse to acknowledge any evidence of wrongdoing, if it did exist, and who choose to ignore the speculation that something wrong has been done, choosing instead to see the evidence in its best light rather than the worst. In terms of sheer numbers, this group may be a little larger than those who dream of all the bad things that could happen to the Clintons at the hands of the special prosecutor.

And, then, there is the great majority of Americans who, absent something huge which so far has not raised its ugly and incriminating head, would rather see the whole thing go away. They would opt, if they could, for real progress on budgetary issues, tax relief, entitlement reform and increased educational opportunities for all Americans. The people in this group, after all, have a much clearer and healthier perspective on what is good for this country.

The days of virtuous leadership, if ever they were here, are gone. It is more likely that the same kind of human beings held our highest offices 100 years ago as those who hold it today. What has changed is the speed and depth of our communications skills so that every blemish, every wart and every imperfection is given the bright light of day and public scrutiny. No human being can withstand a light that bright when the standard -- as foolish as it may be -- is perfection in a country full of imperfect citizens.

The news this past week was extraordinary given the fact that less than two years ago the operating government of the United States ceased working because members of the two major parties failed to get and keep their acts together. That the two sides could reach an agreement where none seemed possible speaks volumes about the ability of people of different philosophies and political thought to come together for the good of their country.

There is every reason to hope that our other challenges can be met and faced with the same determination and the same spirit of bipartisanship that was represented in the hashing out of the balanced budget agreement. There are reasons, however, that suggest the opposite will occur.

It has become a sport of sorts in this country to try to destroy those who hold political leadership as a means of winning political favor with the electorate. Don't get me wrong, it has always been a part of politics to make the other guy look bad while, at the same time, making yourself or your candidate look good. Anyone who disputes this need only visit the newspaper headlines during the last few elections to know that I'm right. This may be the first time, though, when winning at significant cost has been changed to winning at any cost, an occurrence that bodes ill for the next to seek office.

It doesn't take a genius to realize that the next time the Democrats get their hands on the investigative apparatus of Congress, there will be hell to pay for any Republican who even thought of taking a campaign contribution from a friend or who considered choosing a supporter over an enemy for some public appointment. The political world has turned upside down and most of the people in this country either think that is a good thing or aren't concerned enough to express an opinion when one is not only called for but essential to righting the ship of state once more.

We have got to wake up and regain some semblance of sanity in our political life. To do otherwise is to allow those who trade in public confusion and American apathy to have their way with our lives. If our president has broken the laws of this country so that he should be punished, let the law take its course.

But, after years of turning over rocks -- very expensive ones I might add -- and finding not very much, isn't it time to say enough? Isn't it time that we turned our energies toward positive solutions to the great challenges of our time? Look what happened when Trent Lott, Newt Gingrich and President Clinton decided that it was time to reach agreement on a balanced budget. It happened.

We have two ways to go, it appears. We can move ahead together and find bipartisan solutions to what ails us or we can continue to pick and pick and pick until there is nothing left but disdain and disgust.

One direction is the way to success; the other is the way toward continued paralysis of thought and action.

The summer will be hot. The question remains whether we will have the collective cool to get through it without burning the fabric of this great democracy beyond its ability to heal.

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