It’s said that those in power are the ones to write the history books, but this isn’t always true, according to the evidence.  The few serious books about the Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton were written by advocates for Clinton’s removal from office.

The newest book is from former Congressman Bob Barr, a republican from Georgia.  Many have encouraged Mr. Barr to write his version of events because those who worked hard to bring Clinton’s high crimes misdemeanors to the attention of the public know that Congressman Barr was the insider who led the charge.  Barr’s well-timed book is entitled, “The Meaning of Is: The Squandered Impeachment and Wasted Legacy of William Jefferson Clinton”.  This 239-page hardcover is an objective answer to Bill Clinton’s recently released autobiography and is published by Stroud Hall.

I’ll disclose that I’m a good friend of former Congressman Barr.  He was the first of the congressional leadership to support my efforts to surface serious wrongdoing in the Clinton White House, and he now serves on the legal advisory board of my Patrick Henry Center foundation. 

When I first approached Congressman Barr and others with information about national security being damaged by Bill Clinton, Barr was an attentive listener.  Barr’s interest in hearing what I had to say had nothing to do with suspicions about Clinton’s abhorrent sex-life but everything to do with Clinton’s abuse of power and the damage he was doing to our national security.  Slowly, a plan to impeach Clinton was developed, in large part thanks to Barr’s efforts.  By late fall of 1997, Barr had introduced legislation to begin the process.  But in early 1998, the focus shifted immediately to Clinton’s reckless womanizing due to the revelations of Linda Tripp regarding Monica Lewinsky. 

While the nation’s media was obsessed with Clinton’s sex life, Congressman Barr remained steadfast in his quest to hold Clinton accountable for the damage done to our national defense.  He knew what else Clinton had done, and it was much worse!

The 9/11 Commission confirms in its report what Barr and few others knew in 1995, the year I left the White House – the nation as a whole had little concern for national security.  But Congressman Barr, having spent years working for the C.I.A., understood the ramifications of Clinton’s high and low antics.  Clinton’s policies and behavior placed us in grave danger.  His sexual proclivities distracted him from important matters of his presidency.  Of course his defense against the claims that he had violated the precious trust placed in him by voters consumed much of his attention.  But Barr makes a persuasive case that even if Clinton wasn’t chasing Monica or trying to lie about it to protect himself, he would not have given any more attention to the growing problem of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.

Barr’s book is an easy and enjoyable read.  It takes the reader behind the scenes into the corridors of power and exposes the weak politicians on both sides of the aisle who failed to hold Clinton liable.  They let Clinton off the hook, not because Clinton was falsely accused, but because his removal from office would have taken the political establishment into uncharted waters and that made them very afraid. 

Former Congressman Barr describes the brave thirteen House Managers who stepped forward to move the case to impeach Clinton into a hostile Senate environment.  They knew from the beginning that the “fix” was in and that Clinton would never be removed from office.  They also knew that their duty would bring them much scorn and retribution.  With their political careers on the line, they marched forth because each of them had a greater vision for this country.

The 9/11 Commission Report makes a point that one reason we were attacked so easily by Al Qaeda in 2001 was because the nation lacked leaders with imagination.  The commission had it half right.  We have such leaders.  Bob Barr and his fellow House Managers not only had the imagination, they also had the goods on Bill Clinton, and, more importantly, they possessed the political courage to bring Clinton to justice.  There should be monuments to these men and their courage. If we were a nation who really embraced a vision for a better government as our founders’ intended, those monuments would be in place, and well visited.  But for whatever reason, our nation’s vision of itself as a “Shining City on a Hill”, as Ronald Reagan so wonderfully put it, is in remission.

However, there are those like Bob Barr who believe that this remission is a temporary circumstance.

These men of reason – most of them lawyers - had seen all the evidence against Clinton, not just about his antics with Monica.  They knew Clinton had weakened this country’s defenses for a possible terrorist attack, practically inviting acts of blatant espionage. Having that knowledge drove them to press on in spite of tremendous political pressures.  They tried to warn the nation by holding Clinton responsible. But it was the U.S. Senate leaders who lacked both imagination and political courage.  They could not imagine what might happen if Clinton was actually removed.  They were afraid their own careers would be negatively impacted somehow.  They never understood that such publicly displayed political weakness not only encourages our enemies but also gives license to an abusive executive.

After he had escaped removal from office, Bill Clinton knew he had been given a blank check.

Bob Barr believes our nation would have easily survived the removal of Bill Clinton for good cause, and he knew it would have been made stronger in the process.  But most of our current political leadership could never imagine that, so they voted to maintain the status quo.  In this his first book, Bob Barr, clearly a man of vision, makes his case for political courage in a well organized, thoughtful recording of what really happened when William Jefferson Clinton was impeached in 1998.