[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 15, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H7786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H7786]]
     CONGRESS' DUTY IS TO UPHOLD THE RULE OF LAW FOR ALL AMERICANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, we have arrived at a point in our history 
where we will be called upon to make decisions and judgments that will 
deeply affect the integrity of the government and our society, the kind 
of society that we leave to our children and our grandchildren.
  That decision now before us is fundamental to our system of 
government. This country grew to be great because the Founding Fathers 
provided for the rule of law and not the rule of man. They enshrined 
this principle forever in the Constitution.
  Now, some would ask us to be judged by the rule of man. They are 
trying to convince us to abandon the principles of our Constitution and 
the rule of law. They are trying to convince us that public opinion 
polls are more important than the principles on which our government 
was founded. They are trying to advocate censure as the only 
appropriate course of action.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, anyone who considers censure, and makes decisions 
based on the polls, believes in the rule of man, not the rule of law.
  We, the Members of the House of Representatives, have been entrusted 
by our fellow citizens to uphold and preserve the rule of law for all 
Americans. The basic tenet of the rule of law is that it applies to 
every American equally. Laws cannot be applied selectively based on 
some whim or some public opinion.
  The very strength of our system of law and government is that every 
American is evaluated by a common standard, without exception. One set 
of laws should not apply to high officials and another set of laws 
apply to the rest of the country. If we begin to make exceptions based 
on some expediency or some convenience, we reduce ourselves to little 
more than a loosely organized mob.
  Those who advocate censure believe that Congress can resolve this 
matter by making its opinion a matter of public record. Let me say to 
my colleagues that I would hope that the people of America already know 
where we stand on this issue, because Members of Congress have been 
unambiguous in their condemnation of this type of behavior, and I 
believe every American, no matter where they stand on the ideological 
spectrum, shares this view.
  A resolution of censure would do nothing more than to allow Members 
of the House to record their disapproval. While such an approach might 
appeal to some, the time for that is well past.
  It may be that the House decides at some point not to move forward. 
That is a decision that must be made by the House Committee on the 
Judiciary and ultimately by the full House. But for now, the House has 
no choice but to proceed with an impeachment inquiry. We cannot 
selectively apply the rule of law in the face of such a serious 
allegation. The Constitution does not bow to polling data and it leaves 
no middle ground.
  Censure establishes the rule of man at the expense of the rule of 
law. We must never allow America to go down that road. It is the road 
to ruin. Anyone who doubts that the rule of man gives rise to chaos 
only needs to look at Russia. There is a country with no rule of law.
  Mr. Speaker, I pledge to the Members of this Congress as Majority 
Whip of the House to fight in no uncertain terms the scheduling of any 
vote on censure, and I will fight to ensure that censure never sees the 
light of day in this chamber.

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