Clinton's Cheerleaders.

• Author: CONNIFF, RUTH
• Position: Show of support dampened by Iraq bombings - Brief Article

It was supposed to be a lighthearted event. Jesse Jackson and a coalition of progressive groups announced a rally on the Capitol steps on Thursday, December 17, to protest the Republicans' drive to impeach the President.

"Come if you think it's absurd," Jackson declared.

Even people who don't particularly like the President were invited to give a big Bronx cheer to the partisan impeachment spectacle and the sex scandal that has engulfed Washington for the last year.

Unfortunately, in between the organizing effort and the actual event, the President launched a massive bombing campaign against Iraq. Under the circumstances, there was something unseemly about the pep rally for Clinton, who looked a lot less like a victim of dirty politics on the day after he started the war.

A couple of thousand people showed up for the rally, carrying signs that said WE ARE ALL FOR CLINTON; STOP THE GOP; and REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN SLOGAN: A CHICKEN IN EVERY POT AND A CAMERA IN EVERY BEDROOM.

It seemed like a progressive event, organized by the Rainbow Coalition, the National Abortion Rights Action League, and the National Organization for Women, with large numbers of African Americans, union members, and women in attendance. But the mood was edgy and defensive.

Asked if the bombing had changed the feeling of the event at all, a small group of protesters turned hostile: "Where are you from, the Christian Coalition?" demanded one woman, who later identified herself as a federal auditor.

"She's with the corporate media," said another woman, who had come to the event on a bus from Ohio.

"Yup, it's the conservative media," said another.

A man standing next to them, who said he works on the World Wide Web as a network engineer, spoke more calmly: "People are more concerned about impeachment than Iraq."

"The rightwing extremists in Congress are subverting the Constitution--that's what this is about. It's about the power of the Presidency," said the woman from Ohio.

What about the complaint that the President is supposed to consult Congress before going to war?

"He can't consult Congress! He can't work with this Congress!" another woman in the group shouted angrily.

"If anything, the forceful show in the Gulf proved he could still make quick decisions--he could still be a leader in the world," said a soft-spoken man with a backpack.

A woman from the Philippines, who works for the federal government, was wearing a sandwich board that read: YOUR LOYALTY TO YOUR PARTY...