The word captured the essential spirit of the Clinton pardons, not to mention the Clinton presidency: hey, maybe mistakes were made, but let's not blame anyone.

What might Osama bin Laden and his thugs have concluded when they saw Clinton pardon convicted terrorists?

The investigations of the Clinton pardons are important, but to suggest that President Bush will get his program through in a cakewalk because of this issue is a stretch.

The tsunami of media coverage unleashed by the Clinton pardons will be spent only when the current investigations conclude there is no provable criminal conduct.

And, he said, it was developed months ago, before Mr. Clinton left office, and was written before the Clinton pardons were bestowed.

So, as MacKinnon points out, the Clinton pardons are not necessarily the most controversial in U.S. history, but they "may be unmatched for pure dramatic timing and chutzpah."

To the Editor: In the controversy over the Clinton pardons, we should recall the first President Bush's pardoning of Caspar W. Weinberger, the former defense secretary.

If indicted by Mary Jo Molasses, Denise could not count on a Clinton pardon as Susan McDougal did.

At the same time, critics on Capitol Hill and in some conservative editorial pages have questioned Ms. White's will and impartiality in investigating the Clinton pardons.

Others may be disappointed that the investigation of the Clinton pardons has stalled, if not stopped dead.