Posted on 06/21/2004 4:53:57 PM PDT by Alissa
WASHINGTON - Bob Barr, the first congressman to call for President Clinton's impeachment, plans to publish a book next month detailing his own version of the events.
The Georgia Republican and House impeachment manager made the announcement Monday, one day before Clinton's autobiography was set to hit the shelves. Barr's book, being released in mid-July from Stroud & Hall, is entitled, "The Meaning of Is: The Squandered Impeachment and Wasted Legacy of William Jefferson Clinton."
In the book, Barr presents a rebuttal to Clinton's position that his impeachment was a "badge of honor." He calls it a "disgrace of historic importance."
"I am most amazed that the Monica Lewinsky case is ultimately the one that got the president impeached," Barr says in an excerpt from his book released to the media. "These charges pale in comparison to the systematic damage Bill Clinton did to American national security, the office of the presidency and the civil liberties of individual American citizens."
In an interview with The Associated Press, Barr alleges a conspiracy of his own, but far different from the one Hillary Clinton said was targeting her husband during the Lewinsky scandal. Rather, Barr says top Senate Republican leaders worked out a deal to assure Clinton would stay in office despite his impeachment, figuring he was "too wily a politician" to completely fall.
"It failed in the Senate largely because the Republican leadership did not want it to succeed," said Barr, who was defeated by fellow U.S. Rep. John Linder in the 2002 Republican primary. "They had worked out a working relationship with Bill Clinton, and I think they had reached the conclusion that better a weakened Bill Clinton than a possibly stronger Al Gore."
Barr said he plans to read Clinton's book to compare notes, but he did watch the former president on 60 Minutes Sunday night. He called the performance "typical Clinton."
"I still think he could pass a lie detector test tomorrow regarding all of the things for which he was caught red-handed, because, in his mind, he can do no wrong," Barr said. "It's an amazing talent in a sense that he has."
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rebuffed Barr's attempts to revive a $30 million defamation lawsuit he filed against Clinton, Democratic political adviser James Carville and publisher Larry Flynt. Barr had alleged they conspired to smear him by publishing information about his private life, but a three-judge panel said he failed to file the lawsuit within the necessary three years.
Barr shouldn't have run against a Republican incumbent in the primaries when he could have run unopposed in another district. He also went down several notches when he took his job at the ACLU.
Why? He is just about as effective now as he was then.
The ACLU could use some conservatives!
You must be in a different universe. I thought he was one of the BEST House Managers. If you're from his district, then I can't discuss.
I'll buy his book.
Ouch!
Like Bill Clinton, Bob Barr needs to get off the stage.
But, like Willie Mays who went to the Mets after a great career at the Giants, Barr is still under the illusion that he is indispensable to the country.
The specter of an American President selling out the Country and then serving hard time was just too rough for Congress. Unfortunately, the Senate couldn't even bring itself to do anything about the perjury!
P.S. Thanks to Comrad Klinton, Chinese ICBMs are much more reliable and much more accurate, and no American is safe.
Absolutely! Bob was supporting Free Republic from the very beginning. I'd be willing to bet we made the book.
OK - clue me in. Conservatives always bitch about Republicans in Congress NOT speaking out, not fighting back the Democrats. We get one who does, and Freepers put him down. Tell me what I'm missing!
Clintons life is quicksand.
The more he tries to get out of it, the further is sucks him down to his own demise.
Barr joined the ACLU, an absolutely criminal organization. Dick Armey took their filthy lucre as well.
What kind of conservative works with the NAMBLA-loving ACLU?
Barr was a bomb-thrower. Even his fellow Republicans in Congress didn't take him seriously.
No politician is indispensable but we need an entire House of Reps full of conservative Bob Barr's that are pit-bulls mercilessly going after their prey.
He lost the case. He lost his seat. And now he just lost his case to Clinton. You may like his politics, but one needs to actually be effective to get me excited.
Only if yoiu want the GOP to shrink to nothing.
I'll take Chris Cox over Bob Barr any day.
Barr is Bob Dornan with a law degree.
You're not missing anything....Sinkspur comes here to argue, period. And he doesn't do it particularly well. In fact, he doesn't do it well at all.
Sorry, but Barr has been speaking out against the Patriot Act. He's just a publicity seeker now......IMHO.
Bob Barr is one of the very few politicians who took his oath of office seriously. When the party grabbed their ankles on the vote to convict Clinton, for their own greedy, self-serving reasons, Bob Barr stuck with doing the right thing for the country. Hence he is now belittled and maligned by some. That says more about the maligners than the maligned. In my opinion.
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