A L S O+T O D A Y The uneasy death of Florence Griffith Joyner By Kristina Rebelo Anderson When the superstar former athlete died suddenly in her bedroom, a Pandora's box of dark rumors and murky explanations was let loose (12/04/98) Hello Oprah, good-bye Constitution By Lori Leibovich Bemoaning Henry Hyde's spectacle, an impeachment scholar provides a primer for the confused and the cynical (12/04/98)   T A B L E+T A L K How should (or shouldn't) we be shaping our genetic future? Weigh in on gene manipulation in the Science and Health area of Table Talk   R E C E N T L Y All conservatives do not think alike By David Horowitz In a reply to Joel Dreyfuss, David Horowitz defends his view that the black community has locked itself into positions that are destructive to its own interests (12/03/98) The ghosts of bombings past By Jeff Stein Declassified documents from the Pinochet era may finally shed light on how much U.S. officials knew about an assassination in Washington (12/03/98) Debunking the "ethno-bomb" By Jeff Stein U.S. experts are skeptical that Israel has developed a biological weapon that can target Arabs (12/02/98) Who's behind ethnic violence in Indonesia? By Peter Dale Scott "Provocateurs," most likely within the military, are trying to bury the country's hopes for a secular civilian democracy (12/01/98) "Black people must be stupid" By Joel Dreyfuss David Horowitz can't accept that African-Americans shrewdly voted their self-interest in the last election (12/01/98) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         - - - - - - - - - - S A L O N E M P O R I U M FREE! 12-ounce bag of Salon Blend with a purchase of $30 or more. While supplies last.
		Impeachment diary It was a busy week at Henry Hyde's Theater of the Absurd on Capitol Hill. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - At the House Judiciary Committee hearings this week, it looked at first as if the Republican majority was fishing for new ways to expand the scope of the impeachment inquiry by delving into possible campaign finance abuses as well as President Clinton's allegedly unsolicited frottage of Kathleen Willey. Criticism of these moves came, predictably, from the Democrats, who alternately described the investigation as a "very strange proceeding," "wild goose chase" and a "partisan witch hunt." Across the aisle, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., broke party ranks to attack the committee's leadership: "We have seven-year plans for a balanced budget and five-year plans for a balanced budget," King told the New York Times, "but there doesn't seem to be a three-week plan for impeachment." As the week progressed, however, the word on Capitol Hill was that a committee vote on at least one article of impeachment could happen by a week from Saturday. Here's a brief review of the week's events, and a look ahead at what's expected in coming days. Monday: Republican plans were announced to subpoena materials relating to allegations that the president abused campaign finance laws. Committee members said they would seek documents from FBI Director Louis Freeh and senior Justice Department prosecutor Charles LaBella. A previous subpoena of the memos -- which were said to contain information indicating criminal activity by the president -- had been squelched by District Court Judge Norma Holloway the previous week. Committee chairman Henry Hyde released a statement in which he lashed out at Clinton's responses to 81 questions the committee had given him. "Instead of shedding new light on the key facts, the president chose to evade them. He has made it very clear he is going to stick with his reliance on bizarre technical definitions and legalistic defenses." The White House rejected an invitation for the president to appear before the committee, but said his attorneys might appear on his behalf. Spokesman Joe Lockhart said, "It won't add any new information and can be put in the category of a stunt." Democratic fund-raiser Nathan Landow, whom Kathleen Willey accused of trying to sway her testimony, invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer questions at a committee deposition. Tuesday: The consequences of perjury was the theme of the day's hearing. Said Hyde: "If citizens are allowed to lie with impunity -- or encourage others to tell false stories or hide evidence -- judges and juries cannot reach just results." The committee heard from a decorated retired Army general, federal judges, a former attorney general and two women convicted of perjury whose seamy stories would be more at home on a taping of "Jerry Springer" than the supposedly grave matter of impeachment of the president. Former University of South Carolina basketball coach Pam Parsons spent four months in prison after committing perjury under oath in a libel suit she had filed against Sports Illustrated, which portrayed her in an article as a predatory lesbian who had an affair with a player and had "sex in mind" when recruiting players. Parsons said she hadn't been to Puss 'n Boots, a Salt Lake City lesbian bar, but she later confessed she had been. "Thank God, I could finally say I'm guilty," Parsons told the committee. Former Veterans Affairs psychiatrist Barbara Battalino was convicted of perjury after she denied in a civil deposition that she had a sexual relationship with a patient. "I am condemned to a life sentence," testified Battalino, who is under house arrest in Idaho. "I have lost my professional standing, my life as it had been, and my cherished privacy." The committee also voted along party lines to call for depositions and copies of memorandums from Freeh and LaBella, who urged Attorney General Janet Reno to appoint an independent counsel to investigate the president's alleged campaign finance abuses. Wednesday: Federal District Court Judge Norma Holloway ruled that one Democratic and one Republican investigator from the Judiciary Committee could review the Freeh and LaBella memorandums. But Kevin Simpson and David Schippers were barred from taking notes or making photocopies. Republicans were hushed about the contents of the memo, but the committee's ranking Democrat, John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., told reporters, "Nothing in these documents is in any way relevant to this committee's consideration of possible impeachable offenses by the president." Thursday: Under lashing criticism from Democrats, House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston, R-La., weighed in on the pace of the impeachment proceedings. "If the Judiciary Committee could complete its work next week, it would be my expectation that we could have a vote on the following week," Livingston said, emphasizing what seems to be the only goal both parties share: to vote on articles of impeachment before Christmas. Despite reports that most Republicans do not support anything less than a full impeachment vote, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., circulated the party's first censure proposal. The agreement would call for a "strong condemnation of Clinton and require him to pay a financial penalty and issue a statement acknowledging wrongdoing.'' Republicans also dropped the campaign finance leg of their inquiry, according to news reports. Next Week: Tuesday: President Clinton's lawyers are scheduled to present his case before the committee. Wednesday: Republican and Democratic investigators will present their findings to the committee. Thursday-Saturday: The committee is scheduled to debate and vote on articles of impeachment. SALON | Dec. 4, 1998 This report was compiled by Daryl Lindsey. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Become a Salon member. Click here.