Marty Walsh: “Duty Calls if laws are to have worth, the house must vote to impeach the president. It is regrettable that the…”

“Duty Calls if laws are to have worth, the house must vote to impeach the president. It is regrettable that the impeachment process never quite reached a high-minded tone of solemn purpose and bipartisanship, as those responsible for conducting it had vowed it would. It is vexing that a majority of American people apparently say, in response to opinion polls, that President Clinton should not be impeached. It is almost certain that impeachment by the full House of Representatives would make a political martyr of the president. But these are insufficient reasons for the House to avoid its duty. If the laws of this land have worth, if the office of presidency has sanctity left to protect, then the House must vote to impeach the president. His fate then goes in the full Senate which can, after trial and by a two-thirds majority, vote to remove him from office. Absent bold action by the congressmen and women, President Clinton will have shown brazenly that power begets exceptions to the law whenever those in power decide the lawless act is too trivial for pursuit.”