White House rules out Clinton confession

White House officials Wednesday practically ruled out an 11th hour confession of perjury by President Clinton as a means of convincing Congress not to impeach him.

"I think the advice to [do those things] is coming from outside the building," one White House official said. Another White House aide said Clinton may make another statement on impeachment, but that it would be designed to restate his case to the public, not to sway votes on the floor.

Although the timing may be affected by the military strike against Iraq, Clinton advisers now hold out no hope that impeachment can be averted, according to the aide.

"They've got the votes," he said of GOP members favoring impeachment. "There ain't no magic bullet," the aide added, noting that although there would be much "drama" surrounding procedural moves designed to block impeachment, nothing was likely to come of it.

The aide said he would "assume" that Clinton also recognizes that the battle is lost. But sources denied White House officials are demoralized, and one White House source noted that Clinton had "pulled a rabbit out of a hat" before, although he added "people here are realists."

White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart continued to call for GOP leaders to allow a censure proposal, and he said meetings Clinton held Wednesday with Reps. Amo Houghton, R-N.Y., and Christopher Shays, R- Conn., were designed to foster a "bipartisan compromise."

Vice President Gore yesterday continued to push for a censure motion as an alternative to impeachment. "I believe that on Capitol Hill there is still time for Democrats and Republicans to come together and embrace a bipartisan compromise-to seek a resolution that is both quick and fair, and try to turn away from the bitter partisanship that we have seen so far," Gore said.

But White House sources acknowledged earlier this week they did not expect censure to be considered, and that demands by Clinton aides for a censure motion were designed mainly to sow public concern about the fairness of the GOP's handling of the impeachment process.

Meanwhile, groups opposing impeachment today planned to present to House leaders an Internet petition signed by more than 300,000 people who endorse a censure of Clinton.

"We are witnessing an outpouring of rage," Carole Shields, president of People for the American Way, told reporters as her group announced radio ads it is running, and the Internet group, MoveOn.org, unveiled petitions it planned to present to Speaker- designate Bob Livingston, R-La., and Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo.

Shields said her group Tuesday began running radio ads in such areas as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio. The ad provides a toll-free number that connects callers to the Capitol switchboard.