Impeachment: the old Lindsey v. the new one
One can find incredible examples of the CHANGE in Sen. Lindsey Graham's mindset as he traverses from one impeachment (of a Dem) to another (of a Repub).
Consider THIS bit of his thought in 1999:
“You don’t even have to be convicted of a crime* to lose your job [that is, Clinton losing his!] in this constitutional republic if this body determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role,”
“Impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity** to the office.”
A Washington Post reader reported this intriguing view -- and captioned it, "The Old Graham-Cracker in 1999"
__________
* Keep in mind that impeachment is properly seen as a political judgement, NOT a crime -- which requires violating a specific criminal statute. He was TRYING to make this point in 1999; it was tortured reasoning, admittedly.
** A laudable goal, surely -- but today Lindsey refuses to pursue it.
Consider THIS bit of his thought in 1999:
“You don’t even have to be convicted of a crime* to lose your job [that is, Clinton losing his!] in this constitutional republic if this body determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role,”
“Impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity** to the office.”
A Washington Post reader reported this intriguing view -- and captioned it, "The Old Graham-Cracker in 1999"
__________
* Keep in mind that impeachment is properly seen as a political judgement, NOT a crime -- which requires violating a specific criminal statute. He was TRYING to make this point in 1999; it was tortured reasoning, admittedly.
** A laudable goal, surely -- but today Lindsey refuses to pursue it.