"Energy in the Executive is a leading character in the definition of good government. It is essential to the protection of the community against foreign attacks; it is not less essential to the steady administration of the laws; to the protection of property against those irregular and high-handed combinations which sometimes interrupt the ordinary course of justice; to the security of liberty against the enterprises and assaults of ambition, of faction, and of anarchy . . . . A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government. A feeble execution is but another phrase for a bad execution; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government.'' — Alexander Hamilton The Federalist Papers No. 69.
The continental divide weaves its way through the Rocky Mountains. Rainfall on the eastern half of the divide drains into local streams and rivers that ultimately reach the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Water falling on the western slope drains to the Pacific Ocean. Water falling at the divide may flow either east or west. Depending on the exact way the raindrop falls and the state of the soil, a particular raindrop may find its way to either the Atlantic or the Pacific watershed.
A divided watershed is a metaphor for pivotal events that may potentially yield wildly different outcomes. The current allegations that the President suborned perjury and obstructed justice represent a watershed event with two possible outcomes.
Either the allegations will remain unproven or the Administration will unravel. If the former occurs, an American public angry with perceived partisan attempts to bring criminal charges against the President will grant broad immunity against future and past charges against the President, legitimate or not. In the latter case, presidential allies will evaporate and other scandals, Whitewater, File-gate, illegal campaign contributions, etc. will gain a patina of greater credibility and erupt into far greater threats to the President. The particular outcome should be apparent in a few weeks.
If we can extrapolate from history, potential witnesses will clam up and no unequivocal case will be made against the President. Enough dirt will be tossed into the air that people who hope the President succeeds politically will be able to suggest that this is just another political attack. Clinton has systematically and gradually lowered the behavioral standards we expect the President to meet. Only the clearest evidence of felony wrongdoing will
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