Is Perjury a Crime or Not?

With one of their own at risk of jail, prominent Republicans flip-flop on
the question:

GOP Rep. Lindsey Graham (now Senator) on Clinton, 1998: "I believe it is a
crime--it's a high crime that should subject any president for removal."
Graham also served as one of the GOP's managers of the impeachment case.

And on Libby, 2006: "When it came to the grand jury, he gave false testimony
allegedly about his interaction. But the underlying charge that started this
investigation never materialized. So you have to put it in that
perspective...It's a bad story but it's a different story than the way it
started."

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Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes on Clinton, 1998: "It's going to be hard
not to impeach the president for prejury."

And on Libby, 2006: "Fitzgerald should terminate his probe immediately. A
correction--perhaps the longest and most overdue in the history of
journalism--is in order."

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GOP Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, on Clinton, 1998: "Something needs to be said
that is a clear message that our rule of law is intact and the standards for
perjury and obstruction of justice are not gray."

And on Libby, 2005: "I certainly hope that, if there is going to be an
indictment that says something happened, that it is an indictment on a crime
and not some perjury technicality where they couldn't indict on the crime
and so they go to something just to show that their two years of
investigation was not a waste of time and taxpayer dollar."

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Sources: "The Washington Monthly" and Jon Chait of "The New Republic"