Clinton fighting for his political life

The White House began its defence of Bill Clinton's presidency by again apologizing for his sexual indiscretions.

White House lawyer Greg Craig told the House Judiciary Committee: "The president wants everyone to know -- the committee, the Congress and the country -- that he is genuinely sorry for the pain and damage he has caused."

On the matter of Clinton's testimony on his conduct with Monica Lewinsky, Craig admitted the president's remarks were "evasive, incomplete, misleading, even maddening, but it was not perjury."

The Clinton defence argued that while he misled the nation, there is no legal case for impeachment. , "Nothing in this case justifies this Congress overturning a national election," Craig said. "As surely as we know that what did was sinful, we also know it is not impeachable."

Craig also challenged Monica Lewinsky's account of their physical relationship. He was asked by Republican lawyers about statements made by Clinton under oath that he never touched Lewinsky in a sexual way. Those remarks were contradicted in Lewinsky's testimony. Craig described the conflicting accounts as "an oath-on-oath, he says-she says situation."

White House lawyers are hoping to persuade about two dozen wavering moderate Republicans to vote down impeachment when the full House of Representatives votes on the issue next week.

There are enough Republican votes to force Clinton from power, but any trial could traumatize and ultimately politically paralyze the United States, several witnesses told the committee.

With three Democrats saying publicly they intend to vote for impeachment, at least 14 Republicans would have to defy the party leadership to prevent the case from moving on to the next phase.

The next step would be a trial in the Senate, and it would be only the second time in U.S. history that such a trial has happened. Clinton's removal from office would require a two-thirds majority vote, something even his harshest critics do not expect.

Two new polls found two-thirds of Americans oppose Clinton's impeachment.