TRIAL IN THE SENATE: Daschle: Witensses very likely in Clinton trial

Students of all political stripes say that Clinton should not be removed. It's on the cover of magazines, plastered on television screens and virtually impossible to escape. As President Clinton -- who stands accused of perjury and obstruction of justice -- faces the possibility of removal from office by the U.S. Senate, Penn's College Democrats, College Republicans and other students are watching closely. Members from both of the politically-opposed clubs agreed that the president should not be forced to leave office -- but should be censured by Congress. "After all this time, one fact remains clear -- Americans do not feel that the removal of the president is necessary or proper punishment for his wrongdoings," College Democrat President David Prager said. "The American people do not want the president to be removed.? To remove him would be to scoff at the will of the people," the Wharton senior added. Prager cited a January 12 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll which showed that just 39 percent of Americans believe that the impeachment trial should be a high priority for Congress and the president in 1999. Instead, education and health care rank as top priorities for the American people, with respective ratings of 93 percent and 91 percent. The White House defense begins today and is expected to continue until Thursday, after which the Senate will decide whether to call witnesses to testify. In recent days, momentum has swung to the prosecution's side and most people in Washington seemed to believe yesterday that witnesses were inevitable. College Republicans Vice Chairperson Lisa Marshall agreed that Clinton should not be removed, but her reasoning was more political than moral. "I think the worst thing for the Republican party is for Clinton to be thrown out of office," the College junior said. She stressed that Clinton's removal would bring Vice President Al Gore into office, giving Gore a leg up in the presidential race in 2000. "It will give Gore a huge advantage" over Republican contenders, she said. But College Democrat member Gina LaPlaca, who agreed that removal from office would not be a proper punishment for Clinton, cited Republican abuse of power as the reason for the trial. "I think the Republicans came in and decided they didn't like [Clinton] and decided to discredit him in front of the American people," said LaPlaca, a College sophomore. Other students have rather different opinions on Clinton's predicament. Wharton freshman Jared Simon said he believes that the president will not be found guilty, but that he is "a scum-bag." Simon stated his political affiliation as "Republican, and not proud of it anymore." "I'm going Democratic the next chance I get," he added. And College junior Jennifer McKenna said the country has lost interest in the trial. "The [trial] had to happen? but I think most people just don't care," said McKenna, who calls herself "all over the political map." "Most of society is just sick of it and have dropped it and moved on because it's boring now," she added. Simon went even further, saying that the impeachment will decrease Americans' faith in the political system. "Ultimately, this whole debacle will only increase political apathy," he said.

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