NBC Nightly News - 1998-09-12

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] calm.

[0:02] >> As America reads Ken Star's X-rated

[0:05] report and the White House steps up its

[0:07] counter offensive, the American people

[0:10] begin making up their minds about their

[0:12] president.

[0:12] >> Personally, I think he should get out,

[0:14] but I think probably for the best of the

[0:17] country,

[0:19] he probably should stay.

[0:20] >> I think he should resign and save

[0:22] himself from the embarrassment.

[0:24] Also reading in today, members of the

[0:26] congressional committee who must now

[0:27] make a crucial decision on impeachment.

[0:30] We have a long way to go. There's an

[0:32] awful lot to read and to digest, to put

[0:34] into perspective.

[0:38] >> From NBC News World Headquarters in New

[0:41] York, this is NBC Nightly News reported

[0:45] by Brian Williams.

[0:47] >> Good evening. All this weekend, all

[0:49] across this country, the American people

[0:51] are making an important decision about

[0:53] the Clinton presidency. The report from

[0:56] Ken Starr is out, landing with a thud on

[0:58] the internet, splashed across front

[1:00] pages across this nation and around the

[1:03] world this morning. The details are

[1:05] tough to take, decidedly not for the

[1:07] faint of heart, certainly not for

[1:09] children. While the White House is

[1:11] trying hard to fight back, it's in homes

[1:13] across the country where the important

[1:15] work is being done as Americans read the

[1:18] report and decide for themselves what

[1:20] should happen next. NBC's John Palmer is

[1:23] at the White House tonight. Joe John's

[1:24] is on Capitol Hill for us. We're going

[1:26] to begin at the White House. Good

[1:27] evening to you, John. Good evening,

[1:29] Brian. The president said today this has

[1:31] been an exhausting and a very difficult

[1:33] week, but he said he's going to continue

[1:34] to focus on the nation's business. and

[1:36] he left it for his lawyers to respond to

[1:39] independent counsel Kenneth Star's

[1:41] report. Mr. Clinton's lawyers arrived at

[1:44] the White House this afternoon after

[1:46] working through the night on an updated

[1:48] response to Star's report. Reporters

[1:50] were given a 42-page addition to

[1:53] yesterday's 73page rebuttal, which had

[1:55] been written before Star's report was

[1:58] released. The new report, frequently

[2:00] relying on technicalities, contained a

[2:02] point-by-point response to the key

[2:04] charges on perjury. Star's report says

[2:07] the president lied under oath about

[2:09] having sex with Monica Lewinsky and

[2:12] saying he could not recall being alone

[2:14] with her. Clinton's lawyers say a

[2:16] perjury conviction cannot rest on simple

[2:18] inconsistencies and memory disparities

[2:21] between only two witnesses. Obstruction

[2:23] of justice. Stars report says the

[2:26] president conspired with Lewinsky to

[2:28] conceal their relationship. Clinton's

[2:30] lawyers say the use of cover stories to

[2:33] conceal such a relationship apart from

[2:35] any proceedings is not unusual and not

[2:38] an obstruction of justice. Witness

[2:40] tampering. Stars report says the

[2:42] president tried to improperly influence

[2:44] the testimony of his secretary, Betty

[2:46] Curry. Clinton's lawyers say Miss Curry

[2:49] was not a witness in any proceeding at

[2:51] the time the president spoke with her.

[2:53] Abuse of power. Star's report says the

[2:56] president abused his authority by lying

[2:58] to the public, Congress, and the grand

[3:00] jury. Clinton's lawyers dismissed this

[3:03] as an attempt to transform personal

[3:05] misconduct into impeachable official

[3:08] malfeasants. Vice President Gore had

[3:10] this response to the Star report. And I

[3:13] do not believe that this report

[3:18] serves as the basis for overturning the

[3:21] judgment of the American people in 1992

[3:25] and again in 1996. Democratic

[3:28] Congressman Charles Wrangle said the

[3:30] charges against the president boiled

[3:32] down to sex.

[3:33] >> You're dealing with a cheating husband

[3:35] that lied about it.

[3:36] >> The president's minister said his sermon

[3:38] tomorrow will be directed not at Mr.

[3:40] Clinton, but at others.

[3:42] >> I'm going to want to speak of the way in

[3:45] which we can't heal until we forgive.

[3:50] >> White House officials made it clear

[3:51] today they don't expect this matter to

[3:53] end very soon and that they're digging

[3:55] in for the long haul. Brian

[3:57] >> John Palmer at the White House. Thanks.

[3:58] Now to Joe John's on Capitol Hill where

[4:01] in the next few weeks a vote could be

[4:02] taken on whether or not to proceed

[4:04] toward impeachment. Good evening to you,

[4:06] Joe.

[4:07] >> Good evening, Brian. Many members of

[4:09] Congress spent the day reading and

[4:11] analyzing the report. Some could wait to

[4:14] voice their opinions. Others had no

[4:16] choice but to go on the record early.

[4:21] >> On the last weekend before seven states

[4:23] hold primary elections, campaigning

[4:25] Democratic members of Congress were

[4:27] faced with a dilemma. What to say about

[4:29] Kinstar's report? At a parade in New

[4:32] York City,

[4:33] >> there should not be a rush to judgment

[4:34] on what legal standard means high crimes

[4:36] and misdemeanors. at a picnic in

[4:38] Aenddale, Maryland.

[4:40] >> So, I would say that my district, while

[4:42] concerned, is not in a condemning mood.

[4:45] >> Measuring the political mood was the

[4:47] test of the day. Republican Congressman

[4:49] Asa Hutchinson got reactions from

[4:51] constituents in cyberspace. It's hard to

[4:54] know ex whether it's a cross-section or

[4:56] whether people are who are very vehement

[4:58] and upset want to express themselves but

[5:01] uh they're just believe that uh what the

[5:06] conduct was unacceptable.

[5:07] >> A Democrat was getting mixed messages.

[5:10] >> Some are uh you know are hate him and

[5:13] want to you know get the bomb out of

[5:15] here. Uh some say you know we don't like

[5:18] this but what's it got to do with the

[5:19] country? Uh leave it alone. give it a

[5:22] rest and get back to work.

[5:24] >> There was also debate over whether the

[5:26] full report with all its graphic details

[5:28] should have been released to the public.

[5:30] >> It's terrible that it's about this kind

[5:32] of a topic, but it is a good thing that

[5:34] the American people can fully

[5:36] participate.

[5:37] >> The uh material is getting wide currency

[5:40] throughout the country and those are

[5:42] subjects uh and details that uh I don't

[5:45] think belong at the dinner table. House

[5:48] Judiciary Chairman Hyde and his

[5:50] committee control the report along with

[5:52] tapes and thousands of pages of

[5:54] sensitive supporting information still

[5:56] under wraps, but which could be released

[5:58] in the next 2 weeks. Until then, Hyde

[6:00] has threatened to deal severely with

[6:02] anyone who leaks this still secret

[6:04] information. But the next big question

[6:07] for the judiciary committee is whether

[6:09] all of this will lead to a vote to hold

[6:11] impeachment hearings. My guess is based

[6:13] on what Stars charged in the complexity

[6:15] of this, the probabilities are pretty

[6:17] high there will be impeachment hearings.

[6:19] But the recommendation

[6:20] >> that could be an ominous prediction for

[6:22] the president because Republicans have

[6:24] more votes on the committee than

[6:26] Democrats. Brian

[6:27] >> NBC's Joe John's on Capitol Hill for us

[6:29] tonight. Thanks. And while Congress

[6:31] grapples with what it should do, then

[6:34] there's the American people. They just

[6:36] might decide this case. They're

[6:37] grappling all weekend long with what

[6:39] they should think. Here's NBC's Stan

[6:42] Bernard.

[6:43] >> The nation has been absorbing the

[6:45] details of the charges against the

[6:46] president and the reaction ranges from

[6:49] anger to almost embarrassed support.

[6:51] >> Me myself, I cut off my arm before my

[6:54] daughter found out anything like that

[6:55] about me and he could have just simply

[6:57] resigned being a man stand, but he

[6:59] hasn't stood up and took responsible for

[7:01] anything all his life. Personally, I

[7:03] think he should get out. But I think

[7:05] probably for the best of the country,

[7:08] he probably should stay.

[7:10] >> How does that

[7:10] >> a rockolid Republican from Arizona has

[7:13] political reasons for the president to

[7:14] stay?

[7:15] >> Impeachment would not be appropriate

[7:16] right now because we would just get Al

[7:18] Gore. A chance for him to take a

[7:20] foothold.

[7:20] >> Even in Arkansas, where they know him

[7:22] best, the timing of the Clinton

[7:24] apologies is questioned.

[7:26] >> It's uh good that he's admitting

[7:28] everything. It's unfortunate that it

[7:29] took this long to get there. in his

[7:31] hometown. Hope

[7:32] >> I don't think he should resign. I think

[7:34] he should maintain his presidency, do

[7:36] his job.

[7:37] >> The Indianapolis Star printed the

[7:39] report, made an extra-large press run,

[7:41] and sold out. The Star employee said

[7:43] language like that had never before been

[7:46] printed in his paper. In Washington, an

[7:48] anti-Clinton demonstration near the

[7:50] White House.

[7:50] >> He's made bad choices along the way, and

[7:52] I'm not sure that I want him making any

[7:53] choices for me.

[7:54] >> Some of his supporters are plea

[7:56] bargaining. Boy, I think he should be

[7:57] censored.

[7:58] >> That's all.

[7:58] >> Censorship is in order. So, I don't

[8:00] think the guy should be impeached.

[8:02] >> Yesterday at the prayer breakfast, the

[8:04] president referred to a boy in Florida.

[8:06] >> For that little boy in Florida who came

[8:08] up to me and said that he wanted to grow

[8:10] up and be president and to be just like

[8:13] me.

[8:14] >> But, um, you know, I was just, you know,

[8:16] I'm trying kind of stunned that he lied

[8:18] to us all and, you know, all that stuff.

[8:21] But, you know, I still I forgive him and

[8:23] I think everyone else should because

[8:25] he's been trying to do his best.

[8:26] >> A woman from Arkansas said the president

[8:28] fell from grace and the people will

[8:31] decide what to do with him.

[8:32] >> Stan Bernard, NBC News, New York.

[8:35] >> And when NBC Nightly News continues this

[8:38] Saturday evening, the problem millions

[8:39] of parents face when the Star Report

[8:42] hits the internet.

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[11:16] >> It might have been the biggest internet

[11:18] event ever, but the scramble to get

[11:20] access to the Star Report reignited an

[11:22] old fight over a still relatively new

[11:25] technology. NBC News correspondent

[11:27] George Lewis joins us from a cyber cafe

[11:29] near Los Angeles. George, Brian, there

[11:32] were plenty of warnings about the

[11:34] rawness of the language in the report,

[11:36] but no real barriers to access.

[11:38] >> Oh my.

[11:41] The customers here at the Java Cafe are

[11:44] among the millions reading the Star

[11:45] Report all over the country and around

[11:47] the world. In Redmond, Washington, the

[11:50] people who run the MSNBC.com

[11:52] website reported more than 2 million

[11:54] visitors, a record. And America Online

[11:58] said traffic was 30% higher than normal.

[12:01] All of which raises a question. Since

[12:04] the Star report is sexually explicit,

[12:06] how worried should parents be about

[12:08] their children reading it on the

[12:10] internet?

[12:11] >> If a child says, "What is impeachment?"

[12:13] That's kind of a starting point for you

[12:16] as to what they've heard and what kind

[12:18] of information they're asking for.

[12:20] >> Some other hints from child

[12:22] psychologists. Communicate with your

[12:24] children about the president's problems.

[12:26] They're going to hear about them anyway.

[12:28] Keep the explanation simple, taking into

[12:31] account your children's age and

[12:32] curiosity.

[12:34] And monitor their internet usage. A lot

[12:36] of stuff on the net is inappropriate for

[12:39] children. And here's a big irony.

[12:41] Congress once tried to pass a law

[12:43] protecting kids from internet smut. Now,

[12:46] thanks to the Star Report, it's that

[12:48] same Congress that's putting X-rated

[12:50] material on the net. Brian

[12:51] >> George Lewis joining us tonight from

[12:53] Southern California. Thanks. The

[12:55] Independent Council's office said, by

[12:56] the way, the graphic descriptions help

[12:59] underline the substantial and credible

[13:01] evidence given as potential grounds for

[13:03] impeachment here, but there is no

[13:06] absolute definition for an impeachable

[13:08] offense. Never has been. Here with that,

[13:10] NBC News justice correspondent Pete

[13:12] Williams.

[13:14] The most famous definition of an

[13:16] impeachable offense came 28 years ago

[13:18] from Gerald Ford when he was still a

[13:20] congressman. He explained, "It's

[13:22] whatever a majority of the House of

[13:24] Representatives says it is. In fact, it

[13:26] will be entirely up to the House to

[13:28] decide if what's in Ken Star's report

[13:30] meets the Constitution's undefined

[13:33] standard of high crimes and

[13:34] misdemeanors. History offers little

[13:36] guide. 16 officials have been impeached,

[13:38] seven removed from office. But all were

[13:41] judges appointed for life with no other

[13:43] way to remove them. And most

[13:45] constitutional scholars say removing an

[13:47] elected president should be harder.

[13:49] Impeachment in the case of the

[13:51] presidency should be reserved for the

[13:53] most grave offenses might be different

[13:56] when you're talking about federal

[13:57] judges. The House has tried impeaching a

[13:59] president only once in 1868, taking on

[14:02] Andrew Johnson in a bitter political

[14:05] attack. He eventually won. Richard Nixon

[14:07] resigned before the full house could

[14:09] vote on impeaching him. As for the

[14:11] accusations against President Clinton,

[14:13] some legal scholars say impeachment was

[14:15] meant to punish far more dangerous

[14:18] behavior. sex in the Oval Office,

[14:20] attempts to cover it up, understandably

[14:23] not wanting the truth to come out,

[14:25] talking to your sex partner and say,

[14:27] "Let's keep it between us." It demeans

[14:29] the impeachment process to even think

[14:31] about thee impeachment in this context.

[14:34] >> But Star's report suggests a low

[14:36] threshold for impeachable offenses. It

[14:38] calls perjury and obstruction of justice

[14:40] serious charges. And it says they're

[14:42] even graver when committed by a

[14:44] president given the enormous trust and

[14:46] responsibility attended to his high

[14:48] office and given that presidents take an

[14:50] oath to see that laws are faithfully

[14:52] carried out. And some constitutional

[14:54] scholars say the House can legitimately

[14:56] ask whether Mr. Clinton has enough

[14:58] credibility left to get anything done in

[15:01] so far as in their fair-minded judgment.

[15:04] It reflects upon him in such a

[15:05] discrediting way as to raise a fair

[15:08] question about the public's willingness

[15:10] to trust to his leadership. An agonizing

[15:13] decision for the House because the

[15:14] nation's founders did not want members

[15:16] of Congress debating impeachment based

[15:18] on whether or not they liked the

[15:20] president. Pete Williams, NBC News,

[15:23] Washington. And a few program notes

[15:25] here. NBC News will present a 2-hour

[15:28] special report tonight in prime time 9

[15:31] Eastern and Pacific. Tom Brokhov will be

[15:34] joining us for that from Washington

[15:36] tonight and our coverage will continue

[15:39] tomorrow evening uh tomorrow morning

[15:41] rather on NBC's Meet the Press. House

[15:44] Majority Whip Tom Delay, Democratic

[15:46] Congressman David Bonner, and Judiciary

[15:49] Committee members Bill McCullum and

[15:50] Maxine Waters are all Tim Russert's

[15:53] guests. Tomorrow evening, a special

[15:55] report on MSNBC on cable when we

[15:58] continue some of this day's other news.

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[18:11] >> How about a bag of donuts for the road?

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[18:16] >> Now to the investigation into why Swiss

[18:18] Air Flight 111 crashed 10 days ago,

[18:21] killing 229 people. Safety officials in

[18:25] Ottawa tonight are analyzing the cockpit

[18:27] voice recorder. They hope it will

[18:29] provide more details about the smoke the

[18:32] pilots were dealing with in those final

[18:34] minutes of descent. The cleanup started

[18:36] today in some of the Texas towns flooded

[18:39] by tropical storm Francis. Damage was

[18:42] especially heavy around Galveastston and

[18:44] Houston. It is still raining tonight to

[18:46] the north. Embattled Russian President

[18:48] Boris Yeltson called President Clinton

[18:50] today and offered assurances that his

[18:52] new government will continue making

[18:54] economic reforms. But the new strength

[18:56] of the old guard in Moscow may make that

[18:58] promise tough to keep. Here's NBC's Jim

[19:01] Meda.

[19:03] Finally, Russia's communists have

[19:05] something to celebrate. For the first

[19:07] time since the fall of the Soviet Union

[19:09] 7 years ago, the communists who dominate

[19:12] the parliament's lower house or Duma

[19:14] stared President Boris Yeltson down and

[19:17] he blinked. His man is out. The Getty

[19:20] Primikov who the communist support is

[19:22] in. they were able to demonstrate to

[19:26] Yelson and to the whole country uh that

[19:30] uh now they can block any decision made

[19:34] by Yelson.

[19:35] >> But that hardly means the red spectre is

[19:38] back. The party fragmented is more

[19:40] mainstream these days, peaking at about

[19:42] 30% in the polls. To its left are

[19:46] hardline communist allies calling as

[19:48] before for the dictatorship of the

[19:50] proletariat, the return of state

[19:52] control. But rallies usually draw thin

[19:56] crowds. Communist Party leader Gennady

[19:58] Zuganov, he's for some private

[20:01] ownership, free markets, and against a

[20:03] communist state.

[20:06] >> We're for a coalition left of center

[20:08] government, but today's government can

[20:10] only drink and rob. No wonder many

[20:12] Russians who rely on their own potatoes

[20:14] these days to get them through this

[20:16] latest crisis are confused.

[20:19] >> The communist system was better. At

[20:21] least we knew who we were. Now what have

[20:23] we got? It's not communism. It's not

[20:25] democracy. Who knows what?

[20:27] >> But government reformers have no doubts.

[20:29] They say the communists are simply

[20:31] playing a waiting game. That in fact

[20:33] Russian communists not only want power

[20:36] but the old Soviet glory days as well.

[20:39] Communists may dream of wielding real

[20:41] power again someday. But despite their

[20:44] latest victory, it's far from certain

[20:46] the new government will return to a path

[20:49] some Russians still long for. Jim Satum,

[20:52] NBC News, Moscow. Russia may be

[20:55] preoccupied with its own troubles, but

[20:57] elsewhere overseas, a lot of people are

[21:00] transfixed by what's unfolding in

[21:02] Washington. America's embarrassment.

[21:05] NBC's Keith Miller has that story from

[21:07] London tonight.

[21:09] In dozens of languages, the story is the

[21:12] same. Sex, lies, and possible

[21:14] impeachment. The Star Report has been

[21:17] received around the world with amazement

[21:19] and alarm.

[21:20] >> There is a genuine feeling that if

[21:24] America's in trouble, we're probably in

[21:25] trouble, too.

[21:27] >> The report dominates the headlines and

[21:30] the opening line.

[21:34] >> After the Lewinsky revelations, the

[21:35] White House fights back.

[21:38] In France, Lemon described the report as

[21:40] a monster worthy of the reports of the

[21:43] Inquisition where deviants and heretics

[21:45] were hunted down to the depth of their

[21:48] souls.

[21:49] >> It's horrible. I hate Kenneth Star and

[21:53] and I I think it's horrible for Clinton,

[21:57] but because he lose his credibility

[22:02] about the world. In Britain, The Express

[22:06] called the Star Report a witch hunt,

[22:08] saying the president's position is

[22:10] seriously undermined by the accusations

[22:13] and graphic personal details contained

[22:15] within it.

[22:16] >> He's done a a good job for America, I

[22:18] think, and I think they should leave

[22:20] well alone now and let him get on with

[22:22] the job.

[22:24] >> Many newspapers predict the end of the

[22:26] Clinton presidency, but people here seem

[22:28] more concerned about how Mr. Clinton's

[22:30] private life was made public.

[22:32] >> President Clinton Few world leaders were

[22:36] willing to comment today, but the

[22:37] Swedish prime minister amazed said

[22:40] Americans were lucky to have nothing

[22:42] more serious to worry about. But there

[22:44] is a concern and it has to do with

[22:46] credibility. In a time of crisis, the

[22:48] world turns to America. And what the

[22:51] world sees today is a nation weakened

[22:53] and distracted. Keith Miller, NBC News,

[22:56] London.

[22:58] And when Nightly News continues in a

[23:00] moment, how they feel about the Star

[23:01] Report in a conservative place in the

[23:03] center of the country.

[23:10] >> He's worked almost 40 years. She's

[23:12] worked almost 40 years. And during that

[23:15] time, they've gone on walks together

[23:17] instead of cruises and shared secrets

[23:19] together instead of champagne just so

[23:22] that someday they could retire and be

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[24:01] impact resistant. And now they're twice

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[24:06] Only from Lens Crafters. Made in about

[24:08] an hour.

[24:09] >> What do I want? I want to know I'm

[24:11] headed in the right direction.

[24:13] I want to keep my options open.

[24:17] I I do want to take care of my family. I

[24:20] want to give something back.

[24:23] I want to learn, find what's right for

[24:25] me, be ready for anything, make the

[24:27] right choices. I want to find the people

[24:29] who can get me there.

[24:30] >> American Express financial adviserss can

[24:32] help you decide what you want to do and

[24:34] how to get there.

[24:35] >> I want to say I made a difference. I

[24:37] want to do more.

[24:38] >> In hospitalies, they dispense medicines

[24:41] that work fast. For heartburn, that's 1

[24:43] minute. It goes to work on stomach acid

[24:46] in 1 minute. Pepsidac could take over 45

[24:48] minutes. Hospitalies rely on mailocks.

[24:51] Shouldn't you

[24:52] >> count on one minute mail out?

[24:54] >> We know all about it. Some people throw

[24:56] away the Publishers Clearing House sweep

[24:58] stakes without even opening it up. Well,

[25:00] this week that could be a costly

[25:02] mistake. Because this week, if you throw

[25:04] away a Publishers Clearing House

[25:05] envelope with this green star, you could

[25:08] be throwing away a real check for

[25:09] $100,000. There are thousands of real

[25:12] checks right inside selected envelopes

[25:14] marked with a green star. Checks you can

[25:16] take right to the bag. So watch for a

[25:18] publishers clearing house envelope with

[25:20] a green star. There could be a real

[25:22] check inside.

[25:24] >> Sunday on today. If you think you've

[25:25] seen it all on ER, check out this

[25:27] emergency room where the patients are

[25:29] pets saving cats and dogs in the animal

[25:32] ER. Sunday on today.

[25:35] >> Updating now our top story. The White

[25:37] House counted continued its counter

[25:39] offensive rather as Americans started

[25:41] dissecting the details in Ken Star's

[25:44] report and making up their own minds

[25:46] about the future of this presidency. The

[25:48] debate over politics, propriety, and law

[25:51] is happening in places like southern

[25:53] Indiana's 8th congressional district.

[25:56] NBC's Jim Aavala spent the day in

[25:58] Bedford, Indiana.

[26:02] The freight train runs right down Main

[26:04] Street three times a day in Bedford,

[26:06] Indiana. And twice every summer in

[26:08] election years, a thousand miles from

[26:10] Washington DC, local Republicans and

[26:12] Democrats flip a coin to see who can

[26:14] insult each other first.

[26:18] >> Stay.

[26:19] >> All right.

[26:19] >> It's a tradition in these parts, a

[26:21] classic Lincoln Douglas style debate on

[26:23] the front steps of the county

[26:25] courthouse. Today, the Republican

[26:27] incumbent candidate for Congress, John

[26:29] Hostedler, spent the afternoon gleefully

[26:31] on the attack, aimed not at the

[26:33] Democratic challenger, Gail Reichen,

[26:35] standing on the flatbed truck with him,

[26:37] but through her to the White House.

[26:40] >> You were quoted in the in the paper as

[26:42] saying that Bill Clinton is welcome in

[26:43] the 8th district anytime he wants to

[26:45] come in.

[26:50] >> And m Mrs. Rican, I don't know about

[26:52] you. I don't know about you, but if that

[26:55] happens, I at least want to let my

[26:57] daughters know that Bill Clinton is in

[26:59] the district.

[27:00] >> It's not an issue the challenger can

[27:02] debate. The only defense, distance from

[27:04] Clinton and his administration.

[27:06] >> I am not running with Bill Clinton. I'm

[27:10] not running with Donna Leila. I am Gail

[27:13] Rican.

[27:13] >> Bedford is the heart of the 8th

[27:15] district, a region familiar with raw

[27:17] politics. Limestone mining made the

[27:19] area's reputation, but its nickname is

[27:21] the bloody eighth, stained with a

[27:23] history of bare knuckled politics, an

[27:25] image anything but softened by today's

[27:28] harsh rhetoric.

[27:29] >> I continually hear veterans talk about a

[27:32] commander-in-chief that they cannot any

[27:33] longer trust. But away from the main

[27:37] street politics at the ice cream social

[27:39] where girl scouts jump rope and their

[27:41] parents grill burgers under a shade

[27:43] tree, there's less talk about the

[27:44] president and his troubles and more talk

[27:47] about pocketbook issues. Randy George is

[27:49] a union electrician who says he's never

[27:52] had so much work.

[27:53] >> I don't care what Mr. Clinton does. I

[27:54] don't care if he's a homosexual. It has

[27:57] nothing to do with the way the country's

[27:58] run.

[27:59] >> Dr. Rick Robertson watched the debate

[28:01] and while entertained by the fireworks,

[28:03] he's worried that real issues will be

[28:05] ignored.

[28:05] >> You know, the president's life doesn't

[28:07] affect me that directly and what I do

[28:08] every day. Uh but the things his party

[28:10] votes for does.

[28:12] >> And on the campaign trail today, it's an

[28:14] issue as dominant as the train down Main

[28:16] Street in the way of everything and

[28:18] impossible to rush. Jim Avala, NBC News,

[28:22] Bedford, Indiana.

[28:23] >> That's our broadcast for this Saturday

[28:25] night. And a reminder, Tom Brokaw and I

[28:27] will continue our coverage tonight with

[28:29] a 2-hour special report in prime time.

[28:32] NBC News will present it at 900 p.m.

[28:35] tonight. And I'll see you tomorrow

[28:38] evening at 9 on MSNBC on cable for a

[28:41] special edition of the news. Len Cannon

[28:44] will be here with you tomorrow night.

[28:45] I'm Brian Williams reporting tonight

[28:47] from New York. We'll see you later this

[28:48] evening.

[28:53] NBC News, America's news leader.