THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300015
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 57 lines
With friends like Jim and Susan McDougal and Gov. Jim Guy Tucker, President Clinton hardly needs enemies.
The McDougals were Clinton's business partners in the ill-fated Whitewater land deal, and Tucker is often described as Clinton's hand-picked successor. They have now been convicted on multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy involving an Arkansas savings and loan owned by the McDougals. The flimflam was part of the great S&L debacle of the 1980s and involved fraudulent loans.
Even prosecutors admitted they had no proof that President Clinton was connected to these particular crimes. Jurors said Clinton was a credible witness but his videotaped testimony was tangential to the case. They relied on an elaborate and damning paper trail to convict those charged.
Presidential critics say the convictions of the McDougals and Tucker show the Arkansas atmosphere of cronyism and corruption in which Clinton thrived. That's undoubtedly true.
Arkansas has long been run by an unsavory mix of entrenched business interests, high rollers on the make and pliable politicians. The Clintons were in the middle of it. Whether they crossed the line from the ethically gray to the criminal remains to be seen.
If nothing else, the picture of official Arkansas is a cautionary tale. Some in Washington are anxious to ship large parts of the federal government - including welfare and Medicaid - to the states. Arkansas is a reminder that the states are often seething cauldrons of special interests rather than antiseptic laboratories of democracy.
Tuesday's verdicts guarantee that Whitewater will be a factor in this year's presidential race. As Iran-Contra demonstrated, special prosecutors are like Robocops - once turned on they are impossible to turn off. Kenneth Starr will leave no rock unturned and is attacking on several fronts.
Even if President Clinton escapes indictment, Whitewater is back in the headlines, and the convictions add several anvils to the already heavy baggage he carries as he runs for re-election. Some polls suggest 40 percent of the voters believe Clinton lacks the character needed to retain the office he holds.
Certainly the truth should come out. Voters have a right to know what the Clintons were up to in Arkansas and the White House. But Clinton may not be the only politician discommoded if Whitewater results in a higher level of scrutiny.
Voters also have a right to know about alleged connections between legislation Bob Dole sponsored and campaign contributions he received, as well as special treatment Mrs. Dole is said to have gotten regarding some financial dealings.
Voters must recall that not everyone is interested in the truth. Clinton's foes, and Dole's, are also interested in political advantage. Voters have a responsibility to weigh evidence carefully and separate political rhetoric from legal reality.
An unfortunate effect of all that scrutiny may be a depressingly squalid campaign, but knowing the worst is better than electing in ignorance. Let the revelations continue. by CNB