Letter: Clinton's enemies

Sir: As was to be expected with such an unprecedented and sensationalised event, the release of President Bill Clinton's private grand jury testimony sent the world's media machines in to overdrive. The "whole truth" was broadcast in its entirety on most major American networks and much of the evening news around the globe was devoted to the story.

Despite the phenomenal amount of airtime and print devoted to this affair, however, few have sought to answer the most important question. Has the President actually committed a criminal offence, such as perjury or obstruction of justice, that would warrant the start of impeachment proceedings?

Instead the global public were treated to the highlights of the broadcast similar to the highlights of an American football match. Clinton's "game" was broken down in excruciating detail with a blow-by-blow account of his facial expressions, his hair-splitting definitions and his reluctance to answer some very personal and deeply hurtful questions. If the American public is as fed up with this scandal as they would have the world believe, they must start to demand the answers to the real questions.

Still more disturbing was the lack of substantial comment from Capitol Hill. Politicians from both parties are not weighing up the evidence compiled at enormous expense to the taxpayer by the special prosecutor. Instead they are sitting on the fence waiting for the pollsters to do their work before they decide to support or impeach their president.

This scandal has not shown a weak president who is unfit to rule his country but an intelligent and humane president whose important work has been hindered over the last four years by a vain and fickle Congress and blood-sucking political enemies who have refused to play by the rules.

DANIEL HEAF

London London SE1