[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 120 (Friday, September 11, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H7612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       WE MUST BE FAIR AND NON-PARTISAN IN JUDGING OUR PRESIDENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KILPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, twenty months ago, Members of the 105th 
Congress took our collective oaths of office. In that oath, we have 
sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. As 
such, it is not our option, but our obligation to the American people 
to deliberate the issues and information that are presented before us 
in hearings, Committee mark-ups, or during floor debate, and weigh them 
in an unbiased and clear fashion before voting on the issue of the day. 
Our votes on items both mundane and vital must come in a context of 
what is best for our respective constituencies and our nation.
  Today, Congress voted to release the Referral from the Office of the 
Independent Counsel. Like my colleagues, I soberly await its arrival to 
my office. I promise my constituents, the residents of the great State 
of Michigan, and the citizens of our country, that I will read, 
analyze, and review this report, like all of the bills and reports that 
come before me, with great care. While it would be sheer folly of me to 
arrive at any conclusion before I have had the opportunity to review 
the record from the Independent Counsel and its rebuttal by the 
Executive Branch, I would like to use this opportunity to make one 
thing clear: our Constitution demands that we provide a fair and non-
partisan venue for the consideration of impeachment. Regrettably, the 
resolution that was voted on today did not provide that consideration. 
It is my sincere hope, wish and desire that from this point onward, 
Congress acts in a way in which the founding fathers not just desired, 
but decreed.
  Our President has made a mistake; he has admitted as much himself. 
Our President has apologized to our country; the Congress, his family, 
and the other affected individuals and groups in this sad matter; he 
reiterated that just this morning. In the maelstrom of events of the 
past few days, it is sometimes difficult to remember or recall exactly 
what the President has done for our country. For example:
  Our President has boosted the economy of our nation. During President 
Clinton's term in office, more jobs have been created, unemployment has 
hit all-time lows, the stock market has spiraled to unprecedented 
highs, and the budget has been balanced. In Detroit, President Clinton 
was key in ensuring the establishment of the Empowerment Zone, and in 
sending millions of federal funds that will provide for decent housing 
for senior citizens, better roads and safer bridges to drive on, and 
improved access to health care for all.
  Our President has helped to make our streets safer. Under President 
Clinton, the City of Detroit has received a significant increase in 
police officers patrolling the beat and dedicated to community-based 
policing. Under President Clinton, the Brady Law has kept handguns out 
of over 20,000 potential felons. Under President Clinton, the stronger 
assault weapons ban has saved innumerable lives and made the City of 
Detroit and our nation a safer place to live.
  Our President has begun to provide investment in Africa. President 
Clinton was the first President in a generation to visit the land of 
all of our birth, Africa. He stood in the dome of the site where 
perhaps my ancestors were taken in chains to the United States. 
President Clinton has fostered and used the strength of his office to 
ensure that Congress and private industry include Africa on its list of 
international development and investment.
  In closing, let me repeat that I do not condone the actions to which 
the President has admitted. While we all strive for perfection and 
purity, there is not a single soul who is perfect, clean or 
untarnished. The President has apologized for the errors of his ways.
  While I understand that impeachment is second only to declaring war 
in Constitutional importance, Congress still has work to do. We have 
not solved the problem of those senior citizens, unemployed persons or 
the poor who go to the hospital and cannot afford health insurance. We 
have not solved the problem of those persons who have mental illness 
and wander our nation's streets. We have not solved the problem of our 
crumbling and deteriorating elementary, secondary and high schools. We 
have not solved the problem of our frayed social safety net. It is 
important that Congress seriously weigh and analyze this referral, but 
not neglect the people's business. We have tough decisions to make; the 
consideration of this referral should not, and must not, push the 
concerns of our senior citizens, working families, and the poor aside.

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