As President Clinton spent the weekend on Long Island raising $2 million for the Democratic Party, there was increased speculation in the capital that he may retract his denial of a sexual relationship with Ms Monica Lewinsky when he testifies on August 17th.
The latest poll suggests that most Americans do not believe his denial but do not think he should be impeached by Congress for having lied under oath. The Newsweek poll suggests that 59 per cent do not believe the President's denials but only 39 per cent think impeachment would be appropriate. Another 35 per cent say it would be enough if Mr Clinton apologised.
The results of FBI laboratory tests for genetic material on a dress that Ms Lewinsky has handed over to the Independent Counsel, Mr Kenneth Starr, may be known this week. She has allegedly claimed that the dress has physical evidence of a sexual affair. She is due to testify soon to a grand jury in a return for immunity from prosecution for perjury.
What is being called the "mea culpa" scenario where the President would retract his denial of an affair with the former White House intern and apologise to the American people is being increasingly discussed, even by some of his former staff such as Mr George Stephanopoulos and Mr Leo Panetta.
Supporters of this course say that the President could plead that he denied the dalliance with Ms Lewinsky to spare his wife and daughter embarrassment and in what he thought was the best interests of the American people.
The Republican Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Orrin Hatch, said yesterday that such an admission of an affair would not have to lead to the President's impeachment.
"If he comes forth and tells it and does it in the right way and there aren't a lot of other factors to cause the Congress to say this man is unfit for the Presidency and should be impeached, then I think the President would have a reasonable chance of getting through this," the senator said on NBC's Meet The Press.
But other sources said to be close to the President are insisting that he will stick by his denial of last January when he testifies on August 17th to the grand jury investigating the matter. The testimony in the White House will be televised live on a closed circuit to the grand jury at the federal court house. The jurors will be able to ask the President questions submitted in writing.
Meanwhile, the President and Mrs Clinton returned yesterday from a highly successful fund-raising weekend at the fashionable Hamptons resort on Long Island among Democratic supporters. The Presidential couple stayed at the luxury home of film director, Mr Steven Spielberg, whose film Saving Private Ryan made in Co Wexford is drawing huge audiences.
Guests at another fund-raiser at the home of actors, Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, included the star of the film, Tom Hanks and his wife, Ms Rita Wilson, as well as singer Billy Joel and actor Robert de Niro.
Mrs Clinton accused Republicans of "poisoning the atmosphere" of politics in order to keep voters away from the November elections. She said the Republicans have voters believing politics is "all so nasty and yucky and I don't want to be a part of it" by voting.
Mr Clinton said he was so appalled at the thought the Republicans might win back the White House in 2000 that he would stand for a third term if he was not barred by the Constitution.