Clinton's Turn At The Plate

Your reporter began this day in Washington, D.C., where President Clinton's lawyers continue to present the case for the defense in the Senate impeachment trial.

Since Kenneth Starr's grand jury investigation began, most of the case against the president has been just that - the case against the president, with little or no opportunity for Mr. Clinton or his attorneys to challenge witness testimony or to present their own account of events. So the detailed defense now being offered is of special interest.

The president's lawyers on Wednesday addressed accusations of perjury contained in the first article of impeachment. They will try to persuade senators that the president was highly truthful - offering truthful statements which (they say) Kenneth Starr either overlooked or underestimated. The rest is a difference of opinion - not perjury, they say.

Clinton attorney Gregory Craig even took on the notorious statement, "It depends what the meaning of the word 'is' is," by offering context: In an atmosphere in which everybody was hair-splitting, that remark may have been irritating, said Craig, but it's not perjury.

The president's lawyers also claim Bill Clinton tried to follow the judge's instructions. Thus, some responses may have seemed misleading, but did address the question as he understood it in the way he was told to answer. Again, not perjury, say Clinton's attorneys.

Some people may consider that a loophole - now the question is whether the president's opponents can turn that loophole into a noose.

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