Originally posted by GRUNHERZ
Ironic huh and now some of the undersigned Democrats are doing the same thing, I hate politics...
You know I've been in this country for 14 years and three presidents. I seem to remember some discord between congressional democrats and Bush Sr. when it came to the first gulf war - but I dont recall it being particulary personal.
Now obviously with Clinton the attacks did become viciouly personal and it has continues with President Bush today.
Is this normal for the Presidecy or is it a recent development or a throwback to old style dirty politics as often seen on the 19th century?
I believe your observation is a good one and is one I've been noticing my self. It is more recent. There have been plenty of scandals this century...Tea Pot Dome, Watergate, Iran-Contra, Whitewater/Monica. Things got a little testy in Iran-Contra. But it seems that the Whitewater investigation, which led to the Monica scandal, was filled with the most partisan politics I can recall in my lifetime. I'm not a huge fan of Clinton...I voted for Bush, Sr who I think was probably one of the best presidents we've ever had. But the Starr investigation and the repleblican back-biting really was embarrassing. We spent $52 million taxpayer dollars to find out that Clinton, or rather his wife, did not have a significant enough role in the Whitewater S&L to convict, but it did uncover that the President was getting a blow job now and then...big whoop...if I had to stoop to get a blow job from someone that looks like Monica, I'd lie about it too.

$52 million to conclude that Billy got blown. I do think what he did was wrong and he should have come clean (no pun intended) with the truth...hell it works for evangelists. But instead of wasting more money on an impeachment trial, he should have gotten a sympathetic pat on the back and an issue of Playboy for the next time Monica went down so he could at least fanaticize that he was getting a hummer from a hottie.

I think that episode gave Dems the incentive to play tit-for-tat.
Just my guess, but I think some of this partisan politics has been due to the disappearance of the Southern Democrats. These conservative fellows balanced Congress. The liberals could not get too liberal or the Southern Democrats would vote with the Republicans. And the Republicans could get some conservative legislation passed using the Southern Democrat cross-overs. They were a moderating influence, which is now gone. This leaves a very polarized Congress that sees every issue as a zero-sum game.