IMPEACHMENT SPECIAL
You win some and lose some. Clinton has been impeached, and another Republican Speaker is out. Politically, it is probably a good thing that only two of the four articles passed -- it suggests the Republicans were exercising some discretion and not throwing the kitchen sink at the President. And the two articles that passed -- numbers one and three -- are particularly troublesome for Clinton: #1 because even Democrats admit that Clinton lied to the grand jury, #3 because the obstruction of justice charge has Watergate overtones. Over to the Senate.

Meanwhile, Livingston's resignation put the White House in the awkward position of insisting that the Republican Speaker stay -- adulterers have to stick together after all. Livingston's decision to call it quits for now looks like an act of high principle -- why he ran for the job in the first place is another question -- but wait on further developments before making a final judgment.

The GOP conference is now rallying around Illinois Rep. Dennis Hastert, a close Tom DeLay confidante widely admired by his colleagues, as a replacement. If he's the next Speaker, that will make two Tom DeLay victories in one day.