The public response to Bill's forthright apologies raised my spirits. The President's job approval was holding steady through the crisis. My own approval rating was nearing an all-time high.

美国民众对比尔的致歉声明做出了正面的回应，我的精神为之一振。在此次危机期间，美国人民对于总统的施政满意度一直稳定没有下降。至于我个人的民意调查支持度攀升至历史新高。

Although the case for impeachment was both unpopular and unjustified under the constitutional standard, I assumed that the House Republicans would pursue it if they thought they could. The only way to avoid impeachment was through a strong showing in the November elections. Democratic candidates everywhere were feeling justifiably nervous about the President's political health.

虽然弹劾案既不受欢迎又不符合宪法标准，但我认为共和党人尽可能得抓住这个机会不放。避免弹劾的唯一途径是在十一月的选举中强有力的表现。民主党候选人都无可避免地对总统的政治状况感到紧张。

On September 15, a delegation of about two dozen Democratic Congresswomen met with me in the Yellow Oval Room. The representatives sat on couches and chairs, while butlers served coffee and pastries. The women had come to urge me to take a public role in the upcoming election, but I think they also wanted to see and hear for themselves how I was holding up and what I was planning to do next. Once they realized that I was serious about standing up for the Constitution, the President and the Democratic Party, they asked me to get out and campaign for them.

9月15日，我在我的黄色椭圆形的房间里会见了一个约24位民主党议员夫人们的代表团。她们各自坐在沙发里和椅子上，管家献上了咖啡和糕点。夫人们来此是想督促我在即将到来的选举中扮演一个公众角色，但我想她们自己也希望看到和听到我打算怎样支撑这一切局面以及我下一步的计划。在她们意识到我对总统和民主党的支持是认真的，她们让我去支持竞选活动。

"I'll help you in any way I can," I said. "But I also need you to help hold the party together, and to keep the Democratic Caucus members where they belong―behind the Constitution and the President."

“我会尽我一切所能来帮助你，”我说，“但我也需要你来将政党们联合在一起，并依靠宪法和总统的身份来保住民主党的地位。”