Sam Brownback: “I rise today to address a subject that is both extraordinarily difficult and painful. In times of international turmoil…”

“I rise today to address a subject that is both extraordinarily difficult and painful. In times of international turmoil, the Nation should rally behind our leaders, and we are in the midst of such times. But President Clinton's abdication of the duties of leadership has made this impossible. The report of the independent counsel is now under seal. When its contents are released to the Members of Congress, questions of criminal wrongdoing will unavoidably dominate this branch of government. The Congress must determine whether the President will be impeached. I will not prejudge that question. As a Member of the body that will deliberate on this issue, I believe it is important to have access to all the evidence before reaching a conclusion on the issue of impeachment. Rather, I rise today to respectfully ask President Clinton to do the right thing for our country and resign from his office voluntarily. There are three reasons why I believe this has become necessary at this point in time. First, the President's conduct has all but destroyed his ability to lead as head of state and Commander in Chief. Second, the President's actions have been corrosive to our national character and have debased the Office of the Presidency. Third, President Clinton should spare our Nation the debilitating spectacle of impeachment hearings. Over the last several weeks, we have witnessed the disastrous consequences abroad of diminished American leadership.”