Clinton could lose, Hatch says

CINCINNATI -- U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch says while there currently aren't enough Senate votes for an impeachment conviction of President Clinton, "that can change."

"Support for impeachment is rising in this country," Hatch, R-Utah, declared Monday night at a political fund-raiser.The House of Representatives is expected to vote late this week on four articles of impeachment approved last week by the House Judiciary Committee.

"Make no bones about it, there is room here for impeachment," said Hatch. "Just about everybody believes he (Clinton) lied in his Paula Jones deposition and lied before our grand jury. There is enough evidence to impeach and I believe the House will."

Hatch said if that happens, the Senate probably will begin an impeachment trial about the middle of January.

"It doesn't seem we have the 67 votes, the two-thirds required to uphold a conviction of impeachment," said Hatch. "But that can change.

"The question is, will it be a long trial or a short trial? If I was the president, I would want it to be short."

The four-term senator indicated he was surprised that more Democrats haven't called on Clinton to resign and avoid impeachment.

"Can you imagine if this was a Republican president," he said. "I think we (Republicans) would have marched down to the White House and said, 'It's time to leave.' "