July 12, 2004
Former independent counsel Ken Starr has responded to Bill Clinton’s assertions in his best selling book.
In an essay for last Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, Starr writes: "Six years later, the factual findings of our office’s referral to the house of representatives stand unrebutted."
The man who served his country with dignity – and with respectful silence -- throughout the entire Clinton impeachment saga lays out an irrefutable case concerning the number of people who were convicted or pleaded guilty in the affair known as "Whitewater."
Judge Starr concludes: "Mr. Clinton glosses over this enduring lesson about the role of the independent counsel, as well as sliding by many of the investigation’s undisputed findings. His epic-length reflections sweep aside not only the flinty facts, but the vital importance of history and tradition in our constitutional architecture."
Furthermore, "That impoverishment in the presentation reinforces the unfortunate sense that only personalities and (alleged) motivations count in modern public life, when in truth, it is the integrity of ideas and principles that have lasting consequences."
Unfortunately for all of us, the very concept of ‘principles’ is a foreign one to Mr. Clinton.
I’m Cal Thomas in Washington.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C. Watch his television show, After Hours with Cal Thomas, on the Fox News Channel, Saturdays at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.
