Could you source that ridiculous assertion? In post 35 of this thread, I source Henry Hyde. The most courageous members of the House were on the Impeachment Committee led by Hyde. I do not remember anyone on the committee blaming their failure to convict on Gingrich or Livingston. They always blamed Gramm who was the Republican in charge of jointly negotiating the rules with Senate Democrats.
The impeachment trial became a show trial not because of Gingrich or Livingston but because Hyde and his committee had their hands tied behing their back by the Senate rules. To blame Gingrich and Livingston for the failure to impeach reflects an ignorance of the impeachment process as well as revisionary history based on personal scapegoating. Blaming Newt for the Senate's failure to convict is quite simply an indefensible assertion.
It was the Senate who completely chickened out. In particular I remember Trent Lott telling Henry Hyde not to "send that trash over here." Newt Gingrich had nothing to do with it. See Admiral Mark Hill's (He was Tom Moorer's long time sidekick) column of the day: "Washington or Clinton, Senators?" It put the question to them and they chickened out. It was on either WND or CNS, I forget which.
Article 1 Section 3 is not that complicated, even a mediocre mind like my own can wrap my arms around it. But impeachment is a political process and conviction was hopeless once Newt and the boys lost seats in November. After the republican leaders in the House resigned it was assured that they would not even garner a majority in the senate for conviction, no less two thirds.
I don’t know what to say to somebody that thinks otherwise.
*snip*
We’ve done our job. Our job now is to go over to the Senate. Well do our job there and we will abide by their rules, Rep. James Rogan RCalifornia said.
But even before the senators have returned to Washington, Senate Democrats have been approaching some Republicans to gauge support for censure. Possible targets include GOP moderates like Sens. John Chafee of Rhode Island, Jim Jeffords of Vermont and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine.
But Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott RMississippi had some discouraging words for those efforts, saying in a news interview Monday that the believes the Senate has a responsibility to hear all of the evidence before anybody considers cutting the trial short for a censure deal or some other alternative punishment of Clinton.
*snip*
Though many Democrats favor censuring the president rather than removing him from office, key Senate Republicans have said an alternative should be considered only after a speedy impeachment trial, and perhaps only after a vote on whether to remove the president from office.
Conservative Sen. Phil Gramm RTexas says a censure resolution would be both superfluous and a poor precedent. In a written statement Tuesday, Gramm said censure pales next to the historical weight of the impeachment resolutions already voted by the House.