The Clinton Scandal and the Future of American Government

The Clinton scandal consumed the better part of a year of American public life, bitterly dividing the nation and culminating in a constitutional crisis. In this volume, nonpartisan essays provide an insightful analysis of one of the major political events of the 1990s. Leading scholars explore the long-reaching constitutional and political implications of the scandal: how it may affect the presidency, the law and the political process. The first group of chapters considers effects of the scandal on institutions: the presidency, the Congress, the courts, the independent counsel statute, executive privilege and the impeachment process itself. A second section addresses political factors: public opinion, the media, and the presidential character and personality. A concluding essay broadly examines the implications of the scandal for governance. These essays address such issues as risks posed to Congressional political careers, the prospect of future presidents being subject to civil law suits, the pros and cons of Kenneth Starr's investigation, the role of the media in breaking and then reshaping the story, and ways of reforming the system to handle the unacceptable private behaviour of future presidents.