11/2/98

Dear Henry Hyde,

President Clinton shook my hand one fine day last Spring. It was a fleeting moment which affected me profoundly. This was my President, caring enough to stop and spend a moment with me. My heart also swelled with pride when President Reagan's limo swept past, flags waving on each fender. It isn't about being Republican or Democrat--but about being American. What you do to my President, you do also to me.

The President's actions are sordid and contemptible, but I am more disgusted with the actions of my own party. Once the model of responsibility, the Republicans have abandoned all fiscal and moral restraints in their irrational pursuit for power. Enthralled by their own zeal, they have insulted me at my core. Their pundits openly chastise me for my ignorance. Unfortunately, I understand the issues just fine.

Nowhere is this more evident than the battering given to women who continue to support the President. Hypocrites, the pundits cry. Yet what are the options? To turn against a President who has consistently upheld women's and minority rights? The hypocrisy resides in the actions of the Republicans, who posture as self-appointed keepers of the nation's morals while publishing pornography under the auspices of the Congressional seal. Would the rush to publication have been as intense if the subject had less emotional charge?

The publication of the forced confessions of Monica Lewinsky and other women did more harm than the President's philandering could ever have accomplished. These women were duped into a belief their most intimate acts would be clothed in the privacy afforded all grand jury witnesses. Not yet satisfied with the present level of voyeurism, the President's accusers now propose to force even more intimate details into Congressional hearings. If this is the standard of justice, can any of us expect to be treated better?

This isn't about the political future of Clinton. It's about the will of the electorate: our elected officials need to stand, without assassination or disparagement; the primary concern of Congress and our President needs to be the running of our country; an independent prosecutor with a personal vendetta needs to resign.

There are no heroes in this artificial crisis, except the American people. The electorate should not let misuse of power, by either party, keep them from the polls or cause them to vote with only Clinton in mind. I am urging all citizens to use the upcoming election to rid ourselves of all dishonest power mongers. We need a new generation of politicians who respect our views and appreciate our ideals.