Posted on 12/27/2005 5:15:15 AM PST by COUNTrecount
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The impeachment of former President Clinton is in a gray area of history, too long ago to be a current event, too recent to be judged in perspective.
Yet history is already judging Clinton in the place where millions of students get their information about him - textbooks.
Seven years after he was impeached in a scandal of sex, perjury and bitter politics, Clinton has become a fixture in major high school texts.
The impeachment is portrayed in the context of his two-term tenure, a milestone event, but not one that overshadows how Clinton handled the economy, crime and health care. The most commonly used texts give straightforward recaps of Clinton's toughest days, with some flavor of how it affected the nation. Absent are any the lurid details of his relationship with Monica Lewinksy that spiced up daily news reports and late-night talk shows as the scandal and impeachment played out in 1998 and early 1999.
"It should not be in the book for titillating purposes or settling scores," said Alan Brinkley, the Columbia University provost who has written or contributed to several history text books. "It should be in the book because of its significance to our recent history."
Clinton was president from 1993 to 2001, the growing-up years of today's high school students. Even today's oldest high school students were only 10 or 11 during the height of the scandal, and today's middle schoolers were just approaching or entering first grade.
"This is very difficult for everybody, because it's so fresh," said Gilbert Sewall, director of the American Textbook Council, an independent research group that reviews history texts used in schools. "It's easier to nail down history like the transcontinental railroad. With Clinton, you're dealing with material that has by no means been settled."
(Excerpt) Read more at breakingnews.nypost.com ...
Someday history will properly judge him.
A few more years and it will be: President Clinton was the victim of an inappropriate impeachment.
"A few more years and it will be: President Clinton was the victim of an inappropriate impeachment."
Never will that be what I think. I have always had to be accountable for my conduct. Believe me I'm not a Saint though I'm a lot closer than billy clintoon is.
The "general agreement" included IMPEACHED PRESIDENT Bill Clinton plea bargaining for deliberate false testimony and accepting punishment for the crime.
Wrong. The sole power of impeachment resides with the House [see below] - impeachement IS the conviction. The Senate merely sentences. Just because they chose to give him a slap on the wrist doesn't remove the stain [lol] of impeachment.
* Article 1 Section 2 US Constitution - "The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment."
Clinton remains Impeached.
B/S. Nothing about lying to a grand jury, obstruction of justice or denying an individual their protected rights, you know, the things the impeachment listed, but, given credit for things (economy) he had nothing to do with. SHEESH!
Impeached and DISBARRED.
It Has Begun.
The indoctrionation of the next generation of New Socialist Workers.
Yeah, that's the part that gets me. It's really simple: He was impeached for lying under oath to avoid the consequences of a sexual harassment lawsuit, thus obstructing justice and denying an individual their protected rights.
Try getting a Lefty to admit that.
Bubbacare?
Hopefully the text books show him in a negative way... he was almost as big of a failure as Carter.
Clinton is a disgraceful sack of crap.
Believe me I'm not a Saint though I'm a lot closer than billy clintoon is.
How about Billy Carter?
Carter had a little better morals, but had no idea about anything else. Clinton did a little better with the economy, but had too much of his mind on everything else.
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