In doing so, for the very first time we applied the laws to ourselves that we passed for the rest of the country.
That is moral leadership, Madam President.
That is setting an example.
It says, `Watch what we do, not just what we say.'
It is not often that Congress is able to exhibit moral leadership.
We do things more by consensus and compromise.
The reality of Congress is, we usually do things ugly.
Foreigners always have the best observations about our form of government. de Tocqueville , of course, is the most famous example.
But a Russian visitor, Boris Marshalov, once observed, `Congress is so strange. A man gets up to speak and says nothing. Nobody listens--and then everybody disagrees.
Madam President, that's precisely why leadership from the White House is so important.
The individuality of the President is required to provide the moral leadership for the Nation that Congress, as a body, cannot.
The country desperately needs it.
That is what Franklin Roosevelt was talking about.
Yesterday, I talked about why the White House has covered up all its non-legal activities, on both Whitewater and Travelgate.
It is because the activity of those in the White House conflicts with their projected image.
In the words of syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, it is `political duplicity * * * The offense is hypocrisy of a high order. Having posed as our moral betters, they had to cover up. At stake is their image.'
Yesterday, I referred to and quoted from the new book by James B. Stewart, `Blood Sport.'
The book reveals much about the Clintons to which Mr. Krauthammer alluded. Mr. Stewart raises several questions about the Clintons.
One is about their willingness to abide by the same standards that everyone else has to meet. A second is about whether they abide by financial requirements in obtaining mortgage loans. A third is whether they should have accepted favors from people who were regulated by the State of Arkansas.
Last week, Mr. Stewart was interviewed by Ted Koppel on `Nightline.' In that interview, Mr. Stewart calls this a story about: `the Arrogance of Power, what people think they can do/and get away with/as an elected official, then how candid and honest they are when questioned about it.'
He offers an illustration. It is a quote from the First Lady. She was advised by White House staff to disclose everything rather than stonewall. Let the Sun shine in, they said. But the First Lady rejected that advice. She said, according to Mr. Stewart, `Well, you know, I'm not going to have people poring over our documents. After all, we're the President.'
Madam President, I will put the entire interview of Mr. Stewart by Mr. Koppel into the Record.
That way, the Record will reflect the full context of Mr. Stewart's words, so that I am not accused of misleading the American people.
But Mr. Stewart's observations, as well as those of Mr. Krauthammer, heighten the public's awareness of a moral leadership void in the White House.
So I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the interview of Mr. Stewart by Mr. Koppel.
There being no objection, the interview was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
[Page: S2409]
Ted Koppel [voice-over]. The Whitewater controversy, accusations made and denied.
James Stewart [Author, `Blood Sport']. Mrs. Clinton, essentially, took singlehandedly the control of this investment.
Hillary Clinton. We saw no records, we saw no documents.
Ted Koppel [voice-over]. New questions about the Clintons' credibility.
James Stewart. I think the death of Vincent Foster is the pivotal event in this story.
Hillary Clinton. There were no documents taken out of Vince Foster's office on the night he died.
President Bill Clinton. An allegation comes up, and we answer it, and then people say, `Well, here's another allegation. Answer this.'
James Stewart. The President practically screamed over the phone. He said, `I can't take this anymore. I'm here in Europe and they're asking me about Whitewater.'