''Sure he's a womanizer, but I'd sure take that over any of those Republicans.''
Click, buzzzzzz . . .
That's the voice of America's unsilent majority. They stand by their man come hell, high water or high crimes and misdemeanors. They are the 70 percent who ''approve'' of President Clinton more with every new notch on his cheatin' belt, slowly sinking up to their stubbornly unraised eyebrows in the ooze of denial.
''What right do you have to bring up the man's private sex life?'' the voice on the phone said, working himself up to hang up on me.
I couldn't wedge a word in sideways to explain that groping women and using young White House interns as sex toys in our Oval Office is hardly a ''private'' matter. It is definitely no private matter to use the power and resources of our presidency to encourage perjury, smear the reputations of witnesses, attack a court-appointed prosecutor and obstruct justice.
''If we're going to destroy someone over sex, they'd all be thrown out of office,'' the delusional 70 percent said.
That one makes me sick at heart for all the genuinely good people in public office who are being contaminated by President Clinton's contagious scandals - men and women who miss their families while they endure long weeks in Washington, endless handshake dinners and tiresome travel. No, they are not all like that. We are lucky that very few are arrogant abusers of power. But more will be if 70 percent of the voters care more about right-wing and left-wing than right and wrong.
''He's done some good things. Why can't you just let him be. You right-wingers who criticize the president are just full of hate,'' he said. I could hear the hang-up coming.
So there it is: Criticizing the president is now a ''hate crime.'' He should be left alone to do ''good'' things, no matter how many bad things he does to other people, his office and our nation.
LBJ, Nixon and Reagan had scathing critics. I don't remember anyone accusing them of fanatic hatred. The people I know who are in the 30 percent ''disapproval'' minority don't hate the man - they hate the idea of a man like Clinton leading our country. They hate to hear children ask, ''Who is Monica Lewinsky?''
They wonder, ''Can the polls be wrong?'' - and I hope they are. But then there's that sinking feeling that they are probably correct. People have quit caring - and they resent anyone who still does.
''Quit picking on Clinton,'' they say, and I wonder: At what threshold of overwhelming sleaze, scandal and corruption do you give him a pass? When do you quit and head for the showers, forfeiting our national self-respect to the White House propaganda machine?
Is it three, four or five special prosecutors? Five, 10 or 50 women who have been groped or exploited? How many lies and vicious personal attacks does it take to make the 30 percent quit caring too?
I didn't want to care when Paula Jones' case was dismissed. But then I thought: The president's pals found a job for Monica Lewinsky to keep her from telling the truth - to Ms. Jones' lawyers. The talking points Monica gave to Linda Tripp were designed to cover up the president's groping of Kathleen Willey - from Ms. Jones' lawyers.
In other words, the evidence we've seen so far points unmistakeably to a coverup and obstruction of justice by the most powerful leader in the world - to deny a fair trial to a former Arkansas state worker scorned as ''trailer trash.''
Are you getting the picture here, 70 percent? It's not pretty.
Obstruction of justice worked. And now the same president who has stonewalled and stalled Special Counsel Kenneth Starr insists Mr. Starr is taking too long and should give up.
Delay. Deny. Destroy your enemies - and declare victory.
We're a nation of laws, not men - until a charming, likeable and popular man breaks the law. Then he is above the law.
Deep down, even the 70 percent knows where that road goes. You can already see it from here.
''I'm really worried about what this is going to do to me and to other women,'' said another voice on the phone the day after the Jones case was dismissed. She was fighting tears because the same thing happened to her.
''It was hell,'' she said. ''I'm just so angry. This is a giant leap backwards. Men like my former boss just know now that they have to be craftier. This is allowed.''
Are you listening, 70 percent?
Or is your last word ''click, buzzzzz.''
Peter Bronson is editorial page editor of The Enquirer. If you have questions or comments, call 768-8301, or write to 312 Elm Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
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