FDR, Eisenhower, LBJ, Kennedy, and Reagan were known adulterers (although with Reagan the aggrieved spouse was Jane Wyman, not Nancy). However, none of them were forced to testify about their extramarital life under oath. Moreover, the context was a civil suit paid for by his political enemies. It was a way to use the legal process to force a gotcha moment. I think it is naive to believe that had the other Presidents been forced to swear on a Bible that they would have readily admitted their misdeeds.

While I do not wish to get into an argument about whether Bush and Cheney lied, it is beyond dispute that they played fast and loose with the facts. Sending troops to battle is the most important decision a President makes, and it is an absolute moral imperative that he be candid and honest about the reasons for war and the risks that we face.

In my opinion, the half-truths which Bush and Cheney made to lead us to war are far worse than Clinton’s deceits, regardless of whether or not they were under oath.

My point is only that those who rushed to impeach Clinton should ask themselves what the consequence should be if the same standards were applied to George Bush.

I think that trying to keep the Lewinsky mess private is wrong but understandable. However, portraying ambiguous intelligence as unequivocal in order to gain support for an invasion of Iraq is unforgivable. Cheating husbands have lied since time immemorial, but claiming (as Cheney did) that “Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction” and using it as cassus belli is unprecedented in living memory. The consequences of Clinton’s deceit is unimportant, but the consequences of the administration’s deceit has been tragic.

If you believe that Clinton should have been impeached for lying about Monica Lewinsky, then surely you must also think that Bush should also be subject to impeachment for his untruths.

As for Rumsfeld: he did not have to state something he knew to be wrong (and whose falsity would be clearly evident in a matter of days). He could have dodged the question.