Contemplating Clinton's Damage to the Nation.

• Author: Bresler, Robert J.

MORE THAN 70 years ago, journalist Walter Lippmann wrote, "The public does not rouse itself normally at the existence of evil. It is aroused at evil made manifest by the interruption of a habitual process of life." So, as the summer of 1998 wore on with a stream of presidential revelations and confessions, the public seemed disgusted, but indifferent, unwilling to disturb themselves and demand impeachment or resignation. In a time of booming markets, before the precipitous Stock Market plunge, and near full employment, Pres. Clinton was asking little of the public, and, in turn, the public was asking little of him and expecting less.

All this may change, though. The beast of public fury may be aroused at last, and the President may be sent back to Little Rock to contemplate the wreckage of his career. Whatever the final fate of Bill Clinton, the damage of this scandal to public life and discourse has been done. Had Clinton resigned as soon as the scandal was uncovered last January, he would have saved the country from a squalid season. The public would have been spared this national obsession, the endless TV talk shows, the lowering of acceptable matters for public discussion, and all the seamy details.

It is time for a damage assessment. Not of Clinton's presidency, for that is obvious. We need to assess the damage to our standards, our culture, and ourselves. The following is but a preliminary list of issues:

The loss of personal honor. When a high public official admits to lying to the public and under oath, he must take full responsibility. That means accepting the consequences, not simply mouthing the words. In his Aug. 17 speech, Clinton accepted the responsibility and let it go at that. He made a half-hearted apology and took no action. There was no offer to take on the legal costs incurred by his personal secretary, Betty Currie, and other aides who may have gone into debt on his account, and there certainly was no offer to resign. The sorry lesson is that when one's actions cause great personal pain and loss to others, one owes them nothing but a half-hearted apology. No act of restitution or contrition is necessary. Is that what we should tell our children? At the heart of personal character is courage. This means telling the truth, even if it hurts and one has to accept the consequences. In politics, your word must be your bond. Otherwise, people can not deal with you. When a president lies, he mortgages his credibility, that of...