Defending the American presidency

by Robert Busby

"The Lewinsky scandal of 1998-9 threatened to bring Clinton's presidency to a premature end. Facing imposing adversaries in the form of an Independent Counsel and a Republican Congress, Clinton was charged with perjury and obstructing justice, was impeached, and faced a trial in the Senate." "Robert Busby identifies and analyses the damage-limitation strategies enacted to contend with the Lewinsky scandal, and explains how and why Clinton survived this political crisis. He reviews the President's actions, his attempts to placate the Congress, and the impact of his words and deeds upon public opinion. He also considers the problems encountered by the media in covering this scandal, and the controversy provoked by the Independent Counsel's investigation of the President. That Clinton ultimately survived this scandal embellished his reputation as the 'Comeback Kid', and highlighted the prominence and importance of scandal politics in shaping contemporary perceptions of the presidential of