President Bill Clinton's job approval ratings have risen yet again, despite the fact that he has been impeached and faces a Senate trial in 1999. His chief of staff, Mr John Podesta, yesterday ruled out the President's resignation as "the wrong thing for America".
A survey conducted by NBC on Saturday showed that 72 per cent of Americans approve of Mr Clinton's performance as President. This was an increase on the 68 per cent rating in a similar poll last Tuesday - an unusually high approval for a President. But even while Saturday's poll was being conducted, the House of Representatives was voting to impeach.
There was a similar jump in his approval ratings last February following the reports of his affair with former White House intern, Ms Monica Lewinsky. Such public reactions, after what should be bad news for Mr Clinton, leave the pundits baffled. Some believe it indicates resentment at what is seen as a Republican and media witch-hunt.
The polls are a boost for a President who has become the first one to be impeached since President Andrew Johnson in 1868. Mr Clinton now faces a trial in the Senate sometime next year on two articles of impeachment voted in the House last Saturday. One of the articles alleges he committed perjury in his grand jury testimony last August when questioned about details of his affair with Ms Lewinsky. The second article alleges obstruction of justice through witness-tampering and concealment of evidence in the Paula Jones civil suit for sexual harassment (which has since been dismissed).
White House lawyers are already preparing Mr Clinton's defence in the Senate trial, when a two-thirds majority of the 100 senators would be needed to convict him. The Republican majority is 12 votes short of this figure but even Democratic senators are warning to take nothing for granted once a trial begins.
Efforts are believed to be taking place behind the scenes to negotiate a motion in the Senate strongly censuring Mr Clinton for his behaviour in return for the ending of the trial. A simple majority is sufficient at any time to halt the trial.
The White House has made approaches to two former Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate, Mr George Mitchell and Mr Bob Dole, to help negotiate. Mr Dole proposed the censure compromise.
Following his impeachment on Saturday, President Clinton offered to work out a "reasonable, bi-partisan, proportionate response" to his wrongdoing short of a trial. "I hope there will be a constitutional and fair means of resolving this matter in a prompt manner," he said in the Rose Garden of the White House flanked by his wife, Vice President Al Gore and about 60 Democrats who opposed impeachment.
Meanwhile there has been widespread reaction to the sudden decision by Mr Bob Livingston, the Republican Speaker-elect of the House, to leave politics following the revelation of extra-marital affairs. The affairs came to light on the eve of the impeachment debate after an investigation of Mr Livingston by the pornographic magazine, Hustler, which offered $1 million for information about adultery by members of Congress and senior officials.
The announcement by Mr Larry Flynt, Hustler's publisher, that there will be further revelations of the affairs of Washington politicians, especially Republicans, has aroused widespread criticism of what Democratic leader, Mr Dick Gephardt, and Mr Clinton has called "the politics of personal destruction".
At the start of the impeachment debate, Mr Livingston called on President Clinton to follow his example and resign. Mr Podesta, his chief of staff, said yesterday that resignation would be "the wrong thing for the Constitution" and it would be "the wrong thing for America".
The NBC poll at the weekend showed that 34 per cent believed he should resign following impeachment but this was a drop of 10 percentage points compared with four days earlier.
In an unusual pairing, Mr Clinton and the Independent Counsel, Mr Ken Starr, share the latest cover of Time as "Men of the Year."