ADMISSION OF GUILT IMPERATIVE FOR CENSURE

As the impeachment proceeding heads to the Senate for trial, Democrats again are talking about censure, something they and President Clinton happily would have accepted from the House instead of the two articles of impeachment the House imposed.

Impeachment is the right action, but should the Senate back down and consider censure instead, no motion of censure should be entertained without a requirement that the president admit to perjury before the grand jury and obstruction of justice, the two articles of impeachment passed by the House.

It is highly unlikely that this president would admit to any wrongdoing since he lied to the American people about the Monica Lewinsky affair and refused to testify truthfully before the grand jury about it. If he isn't impeached, any censure short of requiring an admission of guilt as part of his punishment would lack substance.