Leaders hope to put trial pain in past

Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON -- They all want to move on. But it won't be easy.

As the post-impeachment Congress returns to the smoking battlefield today, it is the lawmakers themselves who will go on trial. They face a stern test of their ability to overcome the most flagrantly partisan period in recent history and work harmoniously on the public agenda. That challenge especially is daunting for the House, which impeached President Clinton in December on a mostly party-line vote after months of sniping between Republicans and Democrats that left many licking their political wounds -- and nursing personal grudges. "It's going to be tough. This has been a very emotional time for a lot of people," said Rep. Gary A. Condit, D-Calif., a conservative who has worked closely with Republicans. "The healing process is going to take a little while before we're going to have any level of trust and confidence in each other." Many House Republicans share Condit's concerns. "Clearly there's going to be antagonism by Democrats toward us," said Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla. Still, letting bygones-be-bygones is apt to be the theme at the meeting between congressional leaders and Clinton scheduled for Tuesday at the White House. How much impact that will have in the legislative trenches is open to question. Senators anticipate an easier time reaching across the aisle as they grapple with such issues as Social Security, Medicare, education, a patients' bill of rights and tax cuts. House members on both sides of the aisle were far less sanguine about their ability to put impeachment behind them. "There's a lot of bitterness over here among Democrats," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif. "It's going to linger on with a lot of issues we'll have to deal with." Rep. Charles T. Canady, R-Fla., one of the House managers in the impeachment trial, expressed a similar concern. "I wouldn't be surprised if some are still replaying the past," he said. "But I don't think that serves anyone's interest -- especially the American people's." Both Clinton and Congress -- especially the Republicans -- have a strong, vested interest in building a non-impeachment legacy. For congressional Democrats, however, the political calculations are more complex. They, too, want to tackle the public agenda. Yet many believe they can enhance their chances of recapturing the House, and possibly the Senate, if they can hang a "do-nothing" label on the GOP majority in the 2000 campaign. The one person who could help eradicate the ill-will in the House is the untested but well-liked new speaker, Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. A low-keyed, seven-term congressman, the conservative Hastert is viewed as conciliatory.

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