Stage set for dramatic showdown vote next week as White House tries to scupper

President Bill Clinton has been pushed closer to the brink of impeachment, with the House of Representatives unveiling four articles accusing him of perjury, obstructing justice and abusing his power.

The impeachment articles, which are almost certain to be approved by the House Judiciary Committee by Saturday, set the stage for a dramatic showdown vote of the full House next week.

Even though the White House is desperately scrambling to try to recruit enough moderate Republicans to scupper the threat of impeachment, only one of the four articles needs to be approved for the Senate to be forced to put a president on trial for only the second time in American history.

Mr Clinton's best hope of defusing the biggest crisis of his presidency remains a long-shot chance of getting his opponents to accept a censure motion instead.

House Democrats yesterday unveiled their compromise censure plan and, although panel chairman Henry Hyde said he would allow a committee vote on it, its ultimate prospects remained remote.

The White House hit out at Republicans for drafting the articles even before Mr Clinton's chief counsel, Charles Ruff, had finished testifying before the panel.

In a measured performance which was ranked as the only bright spot in a dismal two days of defence testimony from the White House, Mr Ruff pleaded that Mr Clinton's behaviour in the Monica Lewinsky case, 'although morally reprehensible, does not warrant impeachment, does not warrant overturning the mandate of the American electorate'.