WASHINGTON -- A bitterly divided House voted yesterday to convene an impeachment inquiry into allegations that President Clinton committed offenses serious enough to end his presidency, after an angry debate freighted with historic portent.

Just 31 Democrats -- with 50 expected -- joined all 227 voting Republicans to approve an open-ended Watergate-style inquiry, making Clinton only the third president in the nation's history to face such peril. The 258-176 vote came 24 years after a nearly unanimous House authorized impeachment proceedings that eventually forced President Richard M. Nixon from office in disgrace.

"I think this country and this president have to sober up today," warned Rep. Bob Barr, a fierce critic of Clinton on the Judiciary Committee, which will decide whether to draft formal articles of impeachment. "I hope from this point forward, the president takes this with the gravity" it deserves, the Georgia Republican said.

After the vote, Clinton expressed hope that Congress would handle the impeachment proceedings fairly and expeditiously.

"I hope that we can now move forward with this process in a way that is fair, that is constitutional and that is timely," the president said. "The American people have been through a lot on this, and I think everyone deserves that."

The debate, one of the gravest in recent history, lasted more than three hours, during which House members sparred acrimoniously. Democrats accused Republicans of railroading the president and running roughshod over the Constitution for political gain in Nov. 3 elections.

For most Democrats, the president's offenses boiled down to an embarrassing affair with a former White House intern that he tried to hide, an offense they said fell far short of the historic standard for impeachment.

"The president betrayed his wife; he did not betray his country," declared Florida Rep. Robert Wexler, a Judiciary Committee Democrat. "God help this nation if we fail to recognize the difference."

Republicans, though somewhat more temperate, all but accused their adversaries of seeking to cover up Clinton's alleged wrongdoing, including perjury, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.

'Let history judge us'

"Closing our eyes to allegations of wrongdoing by voting 'no' or ++ trying to limit the time and scope of an inquiry constitutes a breach of our responsibilities as members of Congress," said Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas, the third-ranking Republican in the House. "Let history judge us as having done our duty to uphold the rule of law."

But in the end, Democrats got what they wanted: a largely party-line vote that launches impeachment proceedings under a cloud of partisan division. The vote bolsters the contentions of the White House and congressional Democrats that no national consensus exists to pursue a course as perilous as impeachment.

"We didn't win," said California Rep. Maxine Waters, a Judiciary Committee Democrat. "But we did darn good."

Republicans said the day's votes proved that virtually every House member favored an impeachment inquiry of some kind.

Indeed, both parties conceded that the issue yesterday was not whether there would be impeachment proceedings but how they should be conducted. Democrats proposed an inquiry that would be limited in time and scope, and that would have required a hearing to first define impeachable offenses. It received the votes of all but 10 Democrats, failing 198-236, with just one Republican, Rep. Jay Dickey of Arkansas, backing it.

Seeking common ground

But in the end, Republicans could only hope that the partisan rancor subsides as the weight of the impeachment inquiry forces the parties to cooperate.

"As we move toward the truth, we will find that consensus," pledged Virginia Rep. Robert W. Goodlatte, a Judiciary Committee Republican.

Behind closed doors, Judiciary Committee members and staff have gingerly begun to seek common ground. The sides will try (( to agree on the facts by looking at the evidence for 15 potentially impeachable offenses identified by the Republicans' chief investigator, David Schippers.

Once the factual disputes are isolated, staff attorneys will draft lists of witnesses needed to sort out the differences. The attorneys will decide which witnesses will be subpoenaed to appear before the committee, either to be deposed or to testify at hearings.

A Judiciary subcommittee will open hearings Oct. 22 with an examination of the historical standard for impeachable offenses. That hearing will fall short of Democrats' demands because members will not actually define the standard. Hearings on the ++ charges against Clinton will begin after Nov. 3 elections, said Rep. Henry J. Hyde of Illinois, chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Hyde said he still believes the House can complete its work by the end of the year. But he refused to rule out expanding the impeachment inquiry to include allegations beyond the Lewinsky case, even though independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr has submitted no evidence of impeachable offenses in any other matter.

"I don't think we want to settle for less than the whole truth," Hyde said.

'Duty, duty, duty'

Hyde tried to set a lofty tone for yesterday's debate.

"We must listen to that still small voice that whispers in our ear: 'Duty, duty, duty,' " Hyde said. "The question asks itself: Shall we look further or shall we look away? I would suggest we look further."

Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., a Wisconsin Republican, said: "Someone is telling the truth. Someone is lying. The Judiciary Committee must be given the right to decide. What's at stake here is the rule of law."

But the debate degenerated into what Republican Rep. J. D. Hayworth of Arizona called a "cacophony of catcalls."

With Speaker Newt Gingrich presiding, Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California said Republicans were trying to drum Clinton out of office for lying, a year after Gingrich was reprimanded in part for "misleading" the House ethics committee under oath.

"Both the speaker and I have been reprimanded for lying before official [House] proceedings," said Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, an openly gay Democrat who was punished by the House for lying about a friend who was running a male prostitution ring out of Frank's house.

Rep. Gary L. Ackerman, a New York Democrat, suggested that the House reconvene in Salem, Mass., a reference to 17th-century witch trials.

At one point, House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri hailed Hyde's pledge to avoid "a fishing expedition." But he said he feared that other Republicans would push the inquiry into any number of other "scandals," such as the firing of the White House travel office staff, the misuse of FBI personnel files, campaign finance improprieties and allegations that the administration helped transfer missile technology to the Chinese. that, many Republicans cheered.

"You're not going to get elected by hounding the president of the United States," fumed Rep. Charles B. Rangel, a New York Democrat and member of the Judiciary Committee during Watergate. "Because as you judge the president, the voters will be judging you."

Only two Democrats spoke publicly in favor of the Republican impeachment resolution: Rep. Paul McHale of Pennsylvania, who had already called for the president's resignation, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a freshman from Ohio.

"The president's actions were not inappropriate," McHale said, rejecting the characterizations of fellow Democrats who minimized Clinton's actions with Lewinsky. "They were predatory, reckless and breathlessly arrogant."

Kucinich declared: "There will be no closure for the country, the Congress or the president without a hearing. Give him a chance to clear his name and get back to business."

The 31 Democratic defections fell far short of expectations spun by White House aides and allies. Democratic leaders predicted Wednesday that at least 50 would join the Republicans. Even Hyde conceded yesterday that he had expected at least 40.

'An extremely hard decision'

Most of the Democrats who did vote for the Republican resolution were conservatives who were never expected to side with the president. A handful were more moderate, but are locked in tough re-election bids. One such Democrat, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a freshman from New York, said: "It was an extremely hard decision."

But other Democrats in swing districts said voting for the Democrats' alternative resolution gave them what they needed to give constituents who are demanding that Clinton pay for his actions. The Democratic resolution would have first established an impeachment standard, then convened an inquiry only if Starr's allegations met that standard. The inquiry would have been limited to matters sent to Congress by Starr and would have ended by Dec. 31.

"The real test voters impose on us is the credibility of our motives," said Rep. Robert E. Andrews of New Jersey, who decided against voting with the Republicans. "If they believe we did what we did because we think it was right, they will not only forgive us, they will support us."

With the impeachment inquiry officially under way, Republicans -- and some Democrats -- say the time has come for cooperation. Rep. Lee H. Hamilton of Indiana, a senior Democrat who voted with the Republicans, said he thinks the House can come to a negotiated settlement that would punish the president but allow him to complete his term.

"The president is the person whose misconduct has put us in this position," Hamilton said. "And we have to deal with it."

What comes next?

* Next week, Republican and Democratic investigators on the House Judiciary Committee will meet to examine the facts in the Lewinsky matter. They will then draw up lists of witnesses needed to help resolve factual disputes and decide which would be deposed voluntarily and which would have to be subpoenaed.

* The Judiciary subcommittee on the constitution will conduct a hearing Oct. 22 to discuss the standards for an impeachable offense. No other hearings will be held until after congressional elections Nov. 3.

OC * Impeachment hearings would begin shortly after the elections.

How they voted on impeachment inquiry

The 258-176 roll call Thursday by which the House voted to launch an impeachment inquiry of President Clinton.

Voting yes were 31 Democrats and 227 Republicans.

Voting no were 175 Democrats, 0 Republicans and 1 independent.

X denotes those not voting.

?3 There are no vacancies in the 435-member House.

Democrats

Ab'crombie, Hawaii N

Ackerman, N.Y. N

Allen, Maine N

Andrews, N.J. N

Baesler, Ky. N

Baldacci, Maine N

Barcia, Mich. N

Barrett, Wis. N

Becerra, Calif. N

Bentsen, Tex. N

Berman, Calif. N

Berry, Ark. N

Bishop, Ga. N

Blagojevich, Ill. N

Blumenauer, Ore. N

Bonior, Mich. N

Borski, Pa. N

Boswell, Iowa Y

Boucher, Va. N

Boyd, Fla. N

Brady, Pa. N

Brown, Fla. N

Brown, Calif. N

Brown, Ohio N

Cardin, Md. N

Capps, Calif. N

Carson, Ind. N

Clay, Mo. N

Clayton, N.C. N

Clement, Tenn. N

Clyburn, S.C. N

Condit, Calif. Y

Conyers, Mich. N

Costello, Ill. N

Coyne, Pa. N

Cramer, Ala. Y

Cummings, Md. N

Danner, Mo. Y

Davis, Ill. N

Davis, Fla. N

DeFazio, Ore. N

DeGette, Colo. N

Delahunt, Mass. N

DeLauro, Conn. N

Deutsch, Fla. N

Dicks, Wa. N

Dingell, Mich. N

Dixon, Calif. N

Doggett, Tex. N

Dooley, Calif. N

Doyle, Pa. N

Edwards, Tex. N

Engel, N.Y. N

Eshoo, Calif. N

Etheridge, N.C. Y

Evans, Ill. Y

Farr, Calif. N

Fattah, Pa. N

Fazio, Calif. N

Filner, Calif. N

Ford, Tenn. N

Frank, Mass. N

Frost, Tex. N

Furse, Ore. N

Gejdenson, Conn. N

Gephardt, Mo. N

Gonzalez, Tex. N

Goode, Va. Y

Gordon, Tenn. N

Green, Tex. N

Gutierrez, Ill. N

Hall, Ohio N

Hall, Tex. Y

Hamilton, Ind. Y

Harman, Calif. N

Hastings, Fla. N

Hefner, N.C. N

Hilliard, Ala. N

Hinchey, N.Y. N

Hinojosa, Tex. N

Holden, Pa. N

Hooley, Ore. N

Hoyer, Md. N

Jackson, Ill. N

Jackson-Lee, Tex. N

Jefferson, La. N

John, La. Y

Johnson, E.B., Tex. N

Johnson, Wis. N

Kanjorski, Pa. N

Kaptur, Ohio N

Kennedy, Mass. N

Kennedy, R.I. N

Kennelly, Conn. N

Kildee, Mich. N

Kilpatrick, Mich. N

Kind, Wis. Y

Kleczka, Wis. N

Klink, Pa. N

Kucinich, Ohio Y

LaFalce, N.Y. N

Lampson, Tex. Y

Lantos, Calif. N

Lee, Calif. N

Levin, Mich. N

Lewis, Ga. N

Lipinski, Ill. Y

Lofgren, Calif. N

Lowey, N.Y. N

Luther, Minn. N

Maloney, Conn. Y

Maloney, N.Y. N

Manton, N.Y. N

Markey, Mass. N

Martinez, Calif. N

Mascara, Pa. N

Matsui, Calif. N

McCarthy, Mo. N

McCarthy, N.Y. Y

McDermott, Wa. N

McGovern, Mass. N

McHale, Pa. Y

McIntyre, N.C. Y

McKinney, Ga. N

McNulty, N.Y. N

Meehan, Mass. N

Meek, Fla. N

Meeks, N.Y. N

Menendez, N.J. N

Mlndr-McDld, Cal. N

Miller, Calif. N

Minge, Minn. Y

Mink, Hawaii N

Moakley, Mass. N

Mollohan, W. Va. N

Moran, Va. Y

Murtha, Pa. N

Nadler, N.Y. N

Neal, Mass. N

Oberstar, Minn. N

Obey, Wis. N

Olver, Mass. N

Ortiz, Tex. N

Owens, N.Y. N

Pallone, N.J. N

Pascrell, N.J. N

Pastor, Ariz. N

Payne, N.J. N

Pelosi, Calif. N

Peterson, Minn. Y

Pickett, Va. Y

Pomeroy, N.D. N

Poshard, Ill. N

Price, N.C. N

Rahall, W. Va. N

Rangel, N.Y. N

Reyes, Tex. N

Rivers, Mich. N

Rodriguez, Tex. N

Roemer, Ind. Y

Rothman, N.J. N

Roybal-Allard, Calif. N

Rush, Ill. N

Sabo, Minn. N

Sanchez, Calif. N

Sandlin, Tex. N

Sawyer, Ohio N

Schumer, N.Y. N

Scott, Va. N

Serrano, N.Y. N

Sherman, Calif. N

Sisisky, Va. Y

Skaggs, Colo. N

Skelton, Mo. Y

Slaughter, N.Y. N

Smith, Adam, Wa. N

Snyder, Ark. N

Spratt, S.C. Y

Stabenow, Mich. N

Stark, Calif. N

Stenholm, Tex. Y

Stokes, Ohio N

Strickland, Ohio N

Stupak, Mich. N

Tanner, Tenn. N

Tauscher, Calif. Y

Taylor, Miss. Y

Thompson, Miss. N

Thurman, Fla. N

Tierney, Mass. N

Torres, Calif. N

Towns, N.Y. N

Traficant, Ohio N

Turner, Tex. Y

Velazquez, N.Y. N

Vento, Minn. N

Visclosky, Ind. N

Waters, Calif. N

Watt, N.C. N

Waxman, Calif. N

Wexler, Fla. N

Weygand, R.I. Y

Wise, W. Va. N

Woolsey, Calif. N

Wynn, Md. N

Yates, Ill. N

Republicans Aderholt, Ala. Y

Archer, Tex. Y

Armey, Tex. Y

Bachus, Ala. Y

Baker, La. Y

Ballenger, N.C. Y

Barr, Ga. Y

Barrett, Neb. Y

Bartlett, Md. Y

Barton, Tex. Y

Bass, N.H. Y

Bateman, Va. Y

Bereuter, Neb. Y

Bilbray, Calif. Y

Bilirakis, Fla. Y

Bliley, Va. Y

Blunt, Mo. Y

Boehlert, N.Y. Y

Boehner, Ohio Y

Bonilla, Tex. Y

Bono, Calif. Y

Brady, Tex. Y

Bryant, Tenn. Y

Bunning, Ky. Y

Burr, N.C. Y

Burton, Ind. Y

Buyer, Ind. Y

Callahan, Ala. Y

Calvert, Calif. Y

Camp, Mich. Y

Campbell, Calif. Y

Canady, Fla. Y

Cannon, Utah Y

Castle, Del. Y

Chabot, Ohio Y

Chambliss, Ga. Y

Chenoweth, Idaho Y

Christensen, Neb. Y

Coble, N.C. Y

Coburn, Ok. Y

Collins, Ga. Y

Combest, Tex. Y

Cook, Utah Y

Cooksey, La. Y

Cox, Calif. Y

Crapo, Idaho Y

Crane, Ill. Y

Cubin, Wyo. Y

Cunningham, Calif. Y

Davis, Va. Y

Deal, Ga. Y

DeLay, Tex. Y

Diaz-Balart, Fla. Y

Dickey, Ark. Y

Doolittle, Calif. Y

Dreier, Calif. Y

Duncan, Tenn. Y

Dunn, Wa. Y

Ehlers, Mich. Y

Ehrlich, Md. Y

Emerson, Mo. Y

English, Pa. Y

Ensign, Nev. Y

Everett, Ala. Y

Ewing, Ill. Y

Fawell, Ill. Y

Frelinghuysen, N.J. Y

Foley, Fla. Y

Forbes, N.Y. Y

Fossella, N.Y. Y

Fowler, Fla. Y

Fox, Pa. Y

Franks, N.J. Y

Gallegly, Calif. Y

Ganske, Iowa Y

Gekas, Pa. Y

Gibbons, Nev. Y

Gillmor, Ohio Y

Gilchrest, Md. Y

Gilman, N.Y. Y

Gingrich, Ga. Y

Goodlatte, Va. Y

Goodling, Pa. Y

Goss, Fla. Y

Graham, S.C. Y

Granger, Tex. Y

Greenwood, Pa. Y

Gutknecht, Minn. Y

Hansen, Utah Y

Hastert, Ill. Y

Hastings, Wa. Y

Hayworth, Ariz. Y

Hefley, Colo. Y

Herger, Calif. Y

Hill, Mont. Y

Hilleary, Tenn. Y

Hobson, Ohio Y

Hoekstra, Mich. Y

Horn, Calif. Y

Hostettler, Ind. Y

Houghton, N.Y. Y

Hulshof, Mo. Y

Hunter, Calif. Y

Hutchinson, Ark. Y

Hyde, Ill. Y

Inglis, S.C. Y

Istook, Ok. Y

Jenkins, Tenn. Y

Johnson, Conn. Y

Johnson, Sam, Tex. Y

Jones, N.C. Y

Kasich, Ohio Y

Kelly, N.Y. Y

King, N.Y. Y

Knollenberg, Mich. Y

Kim, Calif. Y

Kingston, Ga. Y

Klug, Wis. Y

Kolbe, Ariz. Y

LaHood, Ill. Y

Largent, Ok. Y

Latham, Iowa Y

LaTourette, Ohio Y

Lazio, N.Y. Y

Leach, Iowa Y

Lewis, Ky. Y

Lewis, Calif. Y

Linder, Ga. Y

Livingston, La. Y

LoBiondo, N.J. Y

Lucas, Ok. Y

Manzullo, Ill. Y

McCrery, La. Y

McCollum, Fla. Y

McDade, Pa. Y

McHugh, N.Y. Y

McInnis, Colo. Y

McIntosh, Ind. Y

McKeon, Calif. Y

Metcalf, Wa. Y

Mica, Fla. Y

Miller, Fla. Y

Moran, Kan. Y

Morella, Md. Y

Myrick, N.C. Y

Nethercutt, Wa. Y

Neumann, Wis. Y

Ney, Ohio Y

Northup, Ky. Y

Norwood, Ga. Y

Nussle, Iowa Y

Oxley, Ohio Y

Packard, Calif. Y

Pappas, N.J. Y

Parker, Miss. Y

Paul, Tex. Y

Paxon, N.Y. Y

Pease, Ind. Y

Petri, Wis. Y

Peterson, Pa. Y

Pickering, Miss. Y

Pitts, Pa. Y

Pombo, Calif. Y

Portman, Ohio Y

Porter, Ill. Y

Pryce, Ohio X

Quinn, N.Y. Y

Radanovich, Calif. Y

Ramstad, Minn. Y

Redmond, N.M. Y

Regula, Ohio Y

Riggs, Calif. Y

Riley, Ala. Y

Rogan, Calif. Y

Rogers, Ky. Y

Rohrabacher, Calif. Y

Ros-Lehtinen, Fla. Y

Roukema, N.J. Y

Royce, Calif. Y

Ryun, Kan. Y

Salmon, Ariz. Y

Sanford, S.C. Y

Saxton, N.J. Y

Scarborough, Fla. Y

Schaefer, Dan, Colo. Y

Schaffer, Bob, Colo. Y

Sensenbrenner, Wis. Y

Sessions, Tex. Y

Shadegg, Ariz. Y

Shaw, Fla. Y

Shays, Conn. Y

Shimkus, Ill. Y

Shuster, Pa. Y

Skeen, N.M. Y

Smith, Mich. Y

Smith, N.J. Y

Smith, Ore. Y

Smith, Tex. Y

Smith, Linda, Wa. Y

Snowbarger, Kan. Y

Souder, Ind. Y

Solomon, N.Y. Y

Spence, S.C. Y

Stearns, Fla. Y

Stump, Ariz. Y

Sununu, N.H. Y

Talent, Mo. Y

Tauzin, La. Y

Taylor, N.C. Y

Thomas, Calif. Y

Thornberry, Tex. Y

Thune, S.D. Y

Tiahrt, Kan. Y

Upton, Mich. Y

Walsh, N.Y. Y

Wamp, Tenn. Y

Watkins, Ok. Y

Watts, Ok. Y

Weldon, Fla. Y

Weldon, Pa. Y

Weller, Ill. Y

White, Wa. Y

Whitfield, Ky. Y

Wicker, Miss. Y

Wilson, N.M. Y

Wolf, Va. Y

Young, Alaska Y

Young, Fla. Y

Other

Sanders, Vt. N.

Pub Date: 10/09/98