EDITORIAL : AWAITING THE VERDICT; IT'S UP TO THE PEOPLE TO DECIDE WHETHER THEY WANT CLINTON TO REMAIN AS PRESIDENT.

``I cannot tell a lie.''

Every child in America learns those words at an early age and the story behind them, of how young George Washington chopped down a cherry tree as a boy and was confronted by his father. Rather than lie, he told the truth and took his punishment like a man.

The boy who told the truth grew up to be a man of honor and courage, the father of our country. Whether apocryphal or not, the story of Washington is the cornerstone of our shared beliefs about American democracy.

Sadly, Bill Clinton has tarnished the legacy of George Washington and the presidency.

His greatest crime is not ``improper'' sexual activity in the Oval Office, lying about it, suborning perjury or even obstructing justice. No, Clinton's crime is what he has done to the fabric of our society, to the moral education of our children, to our honor as a nation.

Therein lies our Clinton dilemma: Stick with him for two more years or give him the boot?

So how are we as a people to redeem ourselves for his sins?

As Clinton, as commander in chief of our armed forces, rightly declares war on terrorists around the world, critics at home and abroad find in his actions a mockery of a movie, a desperate president making war to cover up his sex scandal.

Meanwhile, critical issues such as Social Security, health care, race relations and educational standards languish with a weakened president unable to leverage his lost credibility into public policies that will protect the old, the sick, the young and the needy.

It is not Clinton we worry for, but the nation.

If only he had spent as much time learning the moral lessons of the presidency as he did yearning for the office, the nation would have been spared the destructive ordeal of the past months and the tragedy of his possible impeachment in the coming months.

But that is not Bill Clinton, admired for his political leadership, reviled for his personal failings.

Are we really so different from him if we accept the era of peace and prosperity we have enjoyed during his presidency, but look the other way when he has betrayed our values and our honor?

This is a question that must be weighed by grand jurors who have heard the sordid testimony of his misconduct. It will also be weighed by Congress as it considers the possibility of impeachment.

With each passing day, it becomes increasingly more difficult and more painful to imagine a continued Clinton presidency.

In the end, it is the verdict of ordinary citizens that will carry the day.

That final verdict remains undecided.