We're trying for the end of the week but it may be next week, Nason said.

Anywhere from 26 to 37 tapes will be released, providing the listening public with its first sense of how Lewinsky's voice sounded during her conversations with Linda Tripp.

Never suspecting that Tripp was secretly wired, Lewinsky told Tripp all about her affair with Clinton, describing their kinky sexual encounters and expressing frustration when the president didn't want to go all the way.

Plans for the tapes' release came as Congressional Republicans criticized Clinton yesterday for lawlessness and corruption while acknowledging that the impeachment train has lost steam.

Rep. Charles Canady (R-Fla.) said Clinton must be called to account for undermining the integrity of the high office and for setting a dangerous example of lawlessness and corruption.

Despite the GOP's poor showing on Election Day - seen by many as a sign that Americans oppose impeachment - House Republicans took a hard line against Clinton.

Privately, several members said the lukewarm interest in impeachment favors some type of alternative punishment for the president.

The right time for talking about that is once the inquiry is completed, said Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.), who said talk of compromise must wait until after independent counsel Kenneth Starr testifies.

Rep. William Delahunt (D-Mass.) said he's working with moderate Republicans on an alternative to impeaching Clinton.

You'll see something from us, Delahunt said.

Committee members made their comments during a hearing at which 19 legal eagles offered their thoughts on whether Clinton's behavior in Sexgate was bad enough to impeach him. The gathering was the first hearing in the impeachment process.

Liberal academics defended Clinton while more conservative ones suggested the president's lies merit kicking him out of office.

It's absolutely an impeachable offense, said John McGinnis, a law professor at Yeshiva University.

Complicating matters is disagreement over censure - the most talked-about alternative to outright impeachment.

The Rev. Robert Drinan, a Georgetown University professor, warned that the House committee has no legal standing to censure Clinton.

A vote to censure a president by one or both parties of Congress would establish a dangerous precedent which would weaken the institution of the presidency, Drinan said.

The debate in Congress came as the Supreme Court, located just two blocks away from the Rayburn House Office Building, issued two key rulings - both of which side with Starr over Clinton.

In the first, the high court upheld a ruling that compelled Secret Service agents to answer questions from Starr about things they've seen while protecting Clinton.

The second ruling also rejected White House efforts to cite attorney-client privilege as reason for not having Clinton pal Bruce Lindsey testify in the Sexgate probe.

The White House said it was disappointed with the rulings.

We continue to believe that the attorney-client privilege should protect conversations between government officials and government attorneys, Clinton lawyer Charles Ruff said.

Starr issued a statement saying he's gratified by the rulings.

-- Vincent Morris - 11/10/98