Clinton's Impeachment Will Have Few Consequences for the Presidency

Abstract

T he Clinton crisis that dominated news headlines in 1998 and early 1999 yielded no dearth of emphatic pronouncements about its consequences for the institution of the presidency. While some commentators downplayed its likely adverse consequences, most public debate was rife with dire predictions.' Before considering the merits of these dire predictions, three qualifications invite mention. First, in assessing the impact of the Clinton scandal on the presidency, one must separate the person from the office. Second, the consequences of the Clinton crisis must be measured against the totality of the presidential institution. It is very easy to exaggerate the significance of that which is peripheral to presidential governance, so commentators must bear in mind that the presidency is most important for the political and policy role it plays in governance and for its structural relation-