At this writing, U.S. Senate leaders are predicting a halfhearted, go-through-the-motions vote on impeachment by tomorrow.

As the curtain closes, I would really like to hear from some of you Democrats out there, or non-Democrat Clinton supporters.

I've listened carefully to a lot of the testimony, debate and posturing surrounding the perjury and obstruction of justice trial, and I've even listened to the lies and watched the videotape.

I'm just like most Americans. I would much prefer that the Senate spend its time putting together a balanced budget amendment, term limits and a new tax system that doesn't punish achievement. Unfortunately, our president has chosen not only to break the law but to flout it with such impudence that he deserves to be removed from office.

And the Senate is the body charged with that duty. It's a thankless job, but...

I finally reached the conclusion that impeachment is warranted this week, only after deep soul-searching and careful attention to the evidence that was presented to the Senate. Several times during the trial I have been close to writing in this space that I had concluded otherwise, but the evidence just kept piling up.

Here is my reasoning:

First, Democrats' insistence that the only grounds for removal would be to protect our nation from a Hitler-esque madman bent on military takeover is nonsense. To say that the president can be removed only if he threatens the very existence of the republic is to say that he cannot be removed for rape or murder. I repeat, that's nonsense.

Second, the key charge is obstruction of justice. Perjury alone, abhorrent as it is when committed by the leader of the free world, is not enough for impeachment, especially and I agree with Democrats on this in a civil trial concerning a fairly private matter. Yes, it does involve his conduct while on duty in the Oval Office, and it's unforgivable that he took advantage of a teenaged star collector, but it's just not quite serious enough. And the perjury charge can always be prosecuted later.

Third, obstruction of justice has been proved to my satisfaction. There are too many details to lay out here, but after listening to all of them, I'm convinced that President Clinton asked his friend Vernon Jordan to get a job for a declared witness in his civil trial.

Note, I said a declared witness. Yes, Monica Lewinsky had asked the president to help her get a good job long before she became a witness, and he had promised to do so. But he didn't take a single step to fulfill his promise until she was named as a witness, and then he sprang into action.

In his testimony, Jordan made it clear that he would not ordinarily have involved himself in job placement for a White House intern. A key aide, yes. An intern, no.

By itself, the job search issue wouldn't be enough to convince me, although in any other trial this alone would be enough. On top of everything else, though on top of the gifts being removed, the 2 a.m. phone call to tell Monica she was a witness and the overt hints (though they weren't outright requests) that she should lie, and a dozen other incidents the abuse of presidential power to get a job for a court witness in order to secure her silence was the final straw.

Add to this the numerous lies both in the Paula Jones deposition and the grand jury testimony, and the arrogant, condescending way he lied directly to the American people, looking directly into the cameras the same way he does when he tell us he feels our pain...

I just would like to hear one Clinton apologist say something that would convince me that such total disregard and disdain for our laws, for human decency and ultimately for us, the people, does not deserve removal from office.

A couple weeks ago, I pondered whether we would see a vote of conscience or just partisans coming to the aid of their party.

Now that I've seen some of the interim votes, I'm convinced we'll get both. Some Democrats and Republicans have surprised me. I've been impressed by Democrat Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia. He has as much as said that the president is guilty of crimes, and I believe him when he says he is struggling over the final decision.

I was surprised both by how many Republicans voted against calling witnesses and how many Democrats voted for it.

In the end, those who vote conscience won't be enough. I think in their hearts a majority on both sides are convinced. They would have to be if they've paid any attention at all. But enough Democrats will stand by their man, and enough Republicans will vote the polls rather than their conscience, to keep this con man in the highest office in the land.