Monday morning, President Clinton’s videotaped testimony before independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s grand jury will be released to the public in its entirety. Several cable news channels plan to air the tape unedited and without commentary. The major networks – ABC, NBC and CBS – plan to break into programs throughout the day with updates.

The videotape’s airing elicits passionate arguments from people for and against the tape’s release. On one hand, some argue that the tape’s airing serves no other purpose than to embarrass the president. A grand jury serves to find if there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. Information presented to it does not have to meet the same requirements as evidence brought forth at a trial, nor is grand jury testimony usually released. Therefore, releasing the raw grand jury information sets a dangerous precedent for future cases of similar scope and importance.

But on the other hand, Republicans, and some Democrats, argue that the tape’s release is necessary to show the American people that Clinton repeatedly lied during his testimony. The tape’s release also will present as much of the evidence as possible before the American public so it will be able to make informed opinions.

The release of Clinton’s testimony is a necessary burden.

Whatever information is on the tapes will not embarrass the president – his actions have done that already. Perhaps it is naive to hope that Congress will conduct itself responsibly and without partisanship. But given the Starr report’s importance, one would hope that the nation’s interests, not petty politics, are first and foremost in the minds of the nation’s lawmakers as they proceed.