First lady stands by her man
BY SANDRA SOBIERAJ
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton chose personal words — “I love and care deeply about my husband” — as she strove Saturday to salvage his presidency and the legacy of their shared tenure in the White House.
By day's end, with the impeachment votes cast against him, Mrs. Clinton held the president's hand and presented news cameras with an unshakably united front.
The first lady made an emotional trip to Capitol Hill in the eerily quiet morning hour before the House was gaveled to order. She pinned to her shoulder a golden American eagle brooch, symbol of strength and endurance.
Accompanied by White House chief of staff John Podesta, she held court in a caucus of House Democrats, giving the friendly assembly a glimpse into her private marriage.
Mrs. Clinton, who responded in the first days of the Monica Lewinsky furor last January with bitter charges of a “vast right-wing conspiracy,” told the Democrats Saturday that she did not believe her husband had received a fair shake in the GOP-controlled House.
“She talked about the fact that she believed we were all American citizens and that as citizens we live in a constitutional country and that the process should be done right and that up to now it has not been,” Minority Leader Dick Gephardt said afterward.
But lawmakers who crowded the caucus room described Mrs. Clinton's remarks as mostly reflective and without rancor. The meeting was closed to reporters.
The first lady talked about her “profound love and support” for Mr. Clinton. And, “she talked a bit about why,” said Chief Deputy Democratic Whip Chet Edwards.
The Texas congressman quoted Mrs. Clinton as saying, “We have committed our lives to the values of quality of opportunity and a better life for the children of America.”
A close associate of Mrs. Clinton, speaking on condition of anonymity, said her emotions have bubbled near the surface in the past two weeks as the ignominy of impeachment grew more certain.
When the House votes were finally cast, aides said Mrs. Clinton was with her daughter, Chelsea, in the White House family quarters.
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