An alarm clock blasts its unfriendly notice that it is time to get out of bed.  A teenager wakes up from a restful night’s sleep.  He sits on the edge of his bed and collects his thoughts for a moment.  Minutes later the boy finds himself in the shower cleaning himself for another day at school.  After he dresses and grabs a quick bite to eat, he heads off to school.  Little does this teenager know, he will have to make many decisions throughout his day.  These choices might be as simple as joining his friends to play basketball after school, deciding weather to eat pizza for lunch, or choosing to take lecture notes in his history class.  This teenager might also face much more serious decisions.  A group of classmates invite him to come get high after school with them.  At lunch, he over hears a younger boy getting threatened, and in gym class two boys make sexual comments to a girl wearing small shorts.  How will he decide to handle these situations?  Will he go get high after school, or protect the other boy from being threatened?  Only he can make these decisions.  As humans we face these situations on a daily basis.  It is up to that person whether or not they will give in or stay true to what they believe in.  As a society we expect those people we look up to, whether it be celebrities, professional athletes, or leaders of our country, to have ethics that cannot be broken when tested.  We look up to these people as role models, leaders, and heroes.  Sadly, President Clinton did not live up to the definition of strong morals that many individuals look for in a leader.

Clinton was tested during his term in office and failed.  An intern by the name of Monica Lewinsky would be the culprit for the president’s national letdown.  While in office, President Clinton admitted in a recorded interview with the Whitewater grand jury that he had "inappropriate sexual contact" with Monica Lewinsky.  He later expressed to the nation during a live broadcast that his relationship with Lewinsky was "not appropriate."  When appointing a government official, especially a president, it is hoped that he/she could avoid temptations like this. The president and Monica had planed to cover up any questions that might have arisen from their relationship.  The two discussed ways to keep the immoral relationship a secret, according to Lewinsky in a taped interview.  (Starr)  The two also talked about what to say if Monica was ever questioned about gifts the president gave to her.

The president only seemed to dig himself deeper each day that followed the infant stages of the controversy.  Kenneth Starr created a report that investigated the president.  He was able to come up with evidence, that Clinton had committed several acts, which were grounds for a constitutional impeachment.  The Untied States of America had a man in office that was charged with lying under oath to a grand jury, attempting to influence the testimony of a potential witness who had direct knowledge of the events that took place with Monica Lewinsky, and obstruction of justice just to name a select few of his offenses. (Starr) However, Clinton was acquitted from all of the charges presented against him.

How can we teach children morals if the president, the leader of our country, is caught in such a scandal?  What kind of message does this send to America?  How are parents supposed to explain to their children president Clinton’s actions?  Many people throughout the country have asked these questions.  This whole situation is a mockery and an embarrassment to our great nation and especially to Clinton’s family.  What is most troubling is that Clinton got away with merely a tarnished image.