last Monday, the Pepperdine University Law School was very proud to announce that it had found a new dean -- one Kenneth Starr, the "independent" counsel investigating Whitewater. Rumors that Starr might be leaving had been floating around Washington for three weeks, but even so, the news was a shocker. I was well aware of Starr's failings. I had even started an organization to publicize them. But the last thing I thought was that Starr, to use William Safire's blunt phrase, would just "wimp out" in the middle of his investigation. Why did he wimp out? I can't claim any special access to the truth on this one. But as always, I'll be happy to give you my opinions. First of all, there was the public pressure orchestrated by me and others. The blood sport Starr helped gin up was not as predictable as he thought. When it turned on him, he turned tail. He made plans to flee to sunny Malibu. But public pressure is only one answer. In the end, criticism from people on our side of the aisle may have been less important than the pressure he was getting from his supposed allies. I think the real reason he quit was because he couldn't fulfill the impossible mission his own patrons set for him. Even if Starr had wanted to conduct a credible, nonpartisan investigation, that wasn't going to be enough. To please the right-wingers who helped him get his post -- the same right-wingers who he hoped would someday help him get on a short list for the Supreme Court -- he had to come up with something real big. Embarrassing the president and first lady wasn't going to be enough. He had to bring them down. After two and a half years and more than $17 million in taxpayer expense, he finally came to the conclusion that he couldn't do it. He had no credible case against the president or first lady. All the arm-twisting in the world wasn't going to change that fact. His choice was to stay on and preside over a de facto exoneration or skip town and leave the apologies to his underlings. He took the easy way out. His underlings are pissed. His right-wing cronies are livid. Personally, I'm overjoyed. I didn't think Starr could diminish his already shriveled reputation. Obviously, I was wrong. Bailing out now does just the trick. And when he does bail out -- the official date is Aug. 1 -- this sorry chapter in American history should be behind us. There is still a small chance that between now and Aug. 1 we will see some more shenanigans from Starr. He's now talking about his witch-hunt operation as a "mini-Justice Department" that's going to continue on in perpetuity after he leaves. That will not do. We owe it to the taxpayers and everyone involved to wrap up this investigation as quickly as possible. There ain't no way these people are going to continue harassing the president for the rest of his time in office. So we're not going to let down our guard. The Education and Information Project I started back in the fall to keep the public aware of Starr's prosecutorial excesses and his many conflicts of interest will go on. Until we see Starr pack his bags and this investigation wind down, we'll keep up our efforts. When Starr finally does depart, I hope we will learn from our mistakes. I'd like to think that the next time a person is charged with weighing evidence against a president, one of the most serious and sober responsibilities a private citizen can be given, he or she will not be a partisan hack. I'd like to think that any future independent prosecutor will have a reputation and credentials that are above reproach. Feb. 24, 1997 Does Starr's departure confirm that his investigation was, in fact, a partisan witch hunt? Talk it over in Table Talk.