Clinton Ignores Hearing

After spending a day pushing impeachment to the back of his mind, President Clinton paused in the supportive embrace of fellow Arkansans to thank his pastor "for praying over us."

"God knows we need it," Clinton said.

Our Full Coverage of this Ongoing Story

White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said he does not think the president saw any of Tuesday's hearings, reports CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller. Lockhart added that the president is pleased with the way in which the defense is being presented - that he considers it a serious and comprehensive presentation.

Those witnesses were finishing the first of two days of testimony while Clinton, along with first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, mingled among friends at the annual "Peace on Earth" dinner by Peace Links, the anti-nuclear group founded by the wife of Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark.

But the proceedings were finished for the night long before Clinton was. After the dinner for Bumpers, Clinton went to pick up an award from the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in honor of his work negotiating peace in Northern Ireland.

"I'm proud of my Irish heritage," Clinton said before a crowd that gave him a standing ovation. He said he looked forward to a time "when respect and trust have replaced suspicion" in Northern Ireland, and offered advice that he could very well heed himself.

"We cannot afford to be complacent, or frustrated, or angry," Clinton said. "Keep your spirits up. Keep your vision high."

Afterward, Clinton shook nearly every hand, then lingered in a meeting with another honoree, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, until a quarter past midnight. The first lady left a half hour earlier.

Officially, the Clintons had attended the Peace Links dinner to present the group's annual award to Bumpers, who is retiring this year, and his wife Betty. Unofficially, they fortified themselves in the company of "real flesh-and-blood people," as Clinton called them.

"Hillary began by saying this is a bittersweet moment for us, and indeed it is," Clinton said, looking out at Bumpers. "We've been together a long time."

While he struggled to be cheerful, Clinton's face carried traces of melancholy from the sad duty he performed earlier Tuesday: attending the funeral in Nashville, Tenn. of former Sen. Al Gore Sr., the vice president's father.

As if sensing that his frind needed a boost, Bumpers launched into a joke about a minister who asked three parishioners what each of them wanted said at their eulogies. "The third man said, 'I want you to say, "I think he's still moving'," Bumpers said.

Clinton cupped his hand over his mouth to muzzle a loud belly laugh, his face nearly beet-red.

"I've always done that to Bill Clinton," Bumpers said. "I call him about once a month with my latest (joke). It's great for his spirit."

The senator called the president back on stage to pose with his children and grandchildren while a band played For He's a Jolly Good Fellow.

"I consider him a man who has done so many great things," Bumpers said. "I'm going to be bitterly disappointed if Bill Clinton is not a Nobel Prize winner before he leaves office."

Bumpers then told how he and Clinton once traveled together to an Arkansas town in a small plane that smacked into a mound of ice at the end of an airport runway and careened into a nearby field. Just before landing, Clinton had been telling a funny story.

"Bill Clinton never missed a beat," Bumpers said. "He just kept telling that story."