At least they looked dignified on television. In a flurry of ceremony Thursday, the 13 House managers were sworn in, Judiciary Committee Chair Henry Hyde read the two articles of impeachment, and Chief Justice Rehnquist was sworn in as judge by the Senate's own Methuselah, Strom Thurmond. Then the Senate jurors bent and signed the oath book, each getting to keep his own ceremonial pen. With a tap of Rehnquist's gavel, the historic moment was complete, and Senators could get back to their squabble.
One thing Lott and Daschle agreed on: Both the House managers and the White House need to keep their noses out of what, for now, is strictly the Senate's business. It was the House, with a big assist from the White House, that stripped impeachment of its last shred of bipartisan solemnity -- just what the Senate is still trying gamely to preserve. With the trial now slated to begin on January 14, Trent Lott has a week to bang enough heads so that the second presidential impeachment in U.S. history will be something both parties -- and their constituents -- can reasonably be proud of.