The governor of Texas, Mr George W. Bush, has said the scandal surrounding President Clinton is depressing and has left him wondering if he wants to seek the presidency, according to a newspaper report.
Mr Bush, the son of former President George Bush and a possible candidate for the Republican nomination in 2000, told the Austin American-Statesman that the scandal was not good for the country.
He refused, however, to join a growing chorus calling for Mr Clinton's resignation following the publication of the Starr report on the President's sexual relations with the former White House intern, Ms Monica Lewinsky.
"This has been a very depressing time for me," Mr Bush said. "The process in Washington is a sullied process, and I take no joy in any of this going on. It's sullied. It's not good for America."
Mr Bush (52) has admitted to committing his own youthful indiscretions, but has never disclosed what they were. He has said he used to drink heavily, but stopped in 1986.
Mr Bush acknowledges that he may seek the presidential nomination, but says he has not made up his mind, despite polls showing strong support from Republican stalwarts.
He said that the Clinton scandal had underscored his oft-stated concern about the difficulty of living in what he calls the "bubble" of security and public scrutiny surrounding a president - which he saw at first-hand when his father was in the White House.
"It's a troubling period . . . I think running for president is a commitment to the `bubble' and I've got to make up my mind at the right time if that's what I want to do," Mr Bush said.
The governor, who is running for re-election in November and has a big lead over his Democratic opponent, Mr Garry Mauro, a Clinton ally, said it was up to Mr Clinton to decide if he wanted to quit or face possible impeachment. "He is going to have to ask how effective he is as the President of the United States. I'm certainly not going to be out here on the sidelines chirping away, giving him advice," Mr Bush said.