BYRD: END IT NOW! : BYRD TO CALL FOR CLINTON TRIAL TO STOP.

Byline: Raja Mishra, David Hess and Steven Thomma / Knight Ridder Newspapers

A senior Democratic senator respected by both parties said Friday that he would move to end the impeachment trial of President Clinton, boosting chances it could end next week with the president still in office.

In a midday statement that rippled though the Capitol, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., said the votes needed to convict Clinton are not there and that ``lengthening this trial will only prolong and deepen the divisive, bitter and polarizing effect this sorry affair has visited upon our nation.''

Byrd's dramatic announcement came as the Senate plodded through its first opportunity to direct questions at House prosecutors and White House lawyers about the perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges that grew out of Clinton's affair with former White House aide Monica Lewinsky.

But as the two sides traded answers and accusations, the back rooms of the Senate were abuzz with bipartisan discussions on how to bring the trial to a ``graceful and dignified end,'' as Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., put it.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, floated a plan that would have the Senate vote on a motion to adjourn the trial sometime after witnesses are interviewed in private. That motion would acknowledge the Senate hasn't enough votes to convict Clinton but that the impeachment by the House was the severest form of censuring him.

At the same time, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., the chief prosecutor, appealed directly to the Senate to allow witnesses, and he wrote a letter to the Senate urging it to call Clinton himself to testify.

``Because the president is the only individual with knowledge of almost every material fact relevant to the trial, the House believes that this testimony could greatly help to expeditiously and fairly bring this matter to a close,'' Hyde wrote.

Byrd's announcement that he would personally offer a motion to dismiss early next week drew the greatest attention, however, because he not only carries clout on both sides of the aisle but he also reversed his stance that a full trial was preferable.

The 81-year-old Byrd is considered the guardian of the Senate's tradition and decorum. Throughout the trial, Republicans have deferred to him on procedural matters, and he played a key role in forging the unanimous bipartisan compromise that opened the trial on a positive note two weeks ago.

His change of heart virtually assures that Democrats will unite to oppose calling witnesses and to support dismissal when those votes come up early next week. It also could sway some Republicans who are seeking a speedy completion of the trial.

Assuming all 45 Democrats stuck together and were joined by six Republicans in supporting dismissal, the trial would end. Failing that, 51 votes could kill any effort to call witnesses. The Senate then could move swiftly to a vote on the articles of impeachment.

Conviction, however, would require the votes of 67 of the 100 senators. And even die-hard GOP critics of the president say they don't have enough votes to do that.

Hatch said his proposal was intended to avert that divisive vote, which he said could poison the chances for the Senate to achieve any bipartisan legislation. He also said it would enable senators to avoid a ``nasty fight'' over a censure resolution later this year.

Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle, D-S.D., said he opposed Hatch's plan because it would leave the question of Clinton's culpability unresolved. Also, an adjournment motion would not provide a firm end to the Senate process, since it could be revived by a majority vote at any time.

Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., encouraged the discussions and recommended that both parties get together Tuesday behind closed doors to hash out a plan for concluding the trial.

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PHOTO (Color) ``Lengthening this trial will only prolong and deepen the divisive, bitter and polarizing effect that this sorry affair has visited upon our nation.''

- Sen. Robert Byrd, distinguished Democratic Senator