Witnesses?
By Stephanie Herman
Rightgrrl Co-Founder
stephanie@free-market.net
February 1, 1999
The Democrats don't want witnesses to be called during the senate trial, and their reasoning isn't terribly difficult to decode -- they don't want live evidence to further bury their president. But just a few years back, Senate Democrats felt quite differently. Read their comments on the question of whether to call witnesses in the case of Bob Packwood:
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA): "I do not want to base my vote on a stack of papers. Does a piece of paper come alive? I say not." senator@boxer.senate.gov
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD): "I've heard their stories through depositions, affidavits and the summary of testimony, but I didn't have a chance to personally hear other witnesses. ... I believe that calls us now as we get ready to vote to honor the precedent of public hearings for cross-examination of witnesses to resolve discrepancies in testimony." senator@mikulski.senate.gov
Senator Richard Bryan (D-NV): "We need an opportunity to listen to and see the reaction of the witnesses first-hand, not just read a report." senator@bryan.senate.gov