The late pop artist, Andy Warhol, once commented that in an age of media overkill, every single one of us is due at least 15 minutes of fame. Rep. Peter King (R.-Massapequa), who represents a slice of the Roslyn area, got his 15 minutes and a little more in recent weeks. The Republican lawmaker, in one of those quirks of history, emerged as one of the strongest opponents of the impeachment vote against President Bill Clinton.

Most of Roslyn is represented by Rep. Gary Ackerman (D.-Huntington). A Democrat, Rep. Ackerman also voted against impeachment. But Rep. Ackerman kept a low profile during the contentious debate, giving few interviews or public comments.

This hardly was the case with Rep. King. The congressman has been all over the airwaves in recent weeks, appearing on as many as three national television talk shows a night leading up to the Dec. 19 vote.

One of the few Republicans to publicly defend his position against impeachment, Rep. King has made his case on legal grounds, arguing that President Clinton's alleged transgressions regarding a grand jury testimony did not add up to "high crimes and misdemeanors," the Founding Fathers criteria for impeachment.

Furthermore, a trial in the US Senate, Rep. King has long argued, would tie up the nation's business for months, as senators would be obliged to focus all their energies on legal responsibilities. This is the same argument made by outgoing US Senator Alfonse D'Amato, another unlikely opponent of impeachment.

Political observers suspected that the Clinton Administration's role in the Northern Ireland peace process---an issue dear to Rep. King---played a role in the congressman's stand. But in his official statements, Rep. King stuck to the constitutional argument.

In a speech on the House floor the day before the historic vote, Rep. King claimed for a president to be impeached, "there must be a direct abuse of Presidential power. There must be a president abusing a CIA, abusing citizens to the IRS or the FBI, a crime comparable to treason or bribery," none of which, Rep. King believed, had been committed in President Clinton's case.

Rep. King's vote was a lonely one. He has gone to great lengths to disclaim the "moderate" Republican label, reiterating that he is a longtime conservative who happens to be against impeachment. In addition, he has told conservative talk show hosts and their audiences that he votes against President Clinton's agenda "80 percent of the time."

The congressman also told television interviewers he was not the leader of any movement within the GOP to head off impeachment and vote instead for a censure motion. However, in an interview with the New York Daily News, Rep. King admitted he had been in regular contact with the White House Chief of Staff in an effort to reach censure language that other Republicans might support.

Speaking to ABC's Ted Koppell on the eve of the impeachment debate, Rep. King compared himself to Gary Cooper in High Noon, while expressing no regrets about his decision. For several weeks, it appeared that Rep. King would be joined by 15-20 other Republicans in voting against impeachment. But to the congressmen's surprise, numerous undecided Republicans came out publicly for impeachment making the final vote a bit anti-climatic. In the end, only five Republicans cast votes against impeachment, including Amo Houghton of upstate New York and Christopher Shays of Connecticut.

Rep. King was the only Republican lawmaker from the New York City area to vote against impeachment. A Newsday editorial sternly warned both Rick Lazio and Michael Forbes not to vote for impeachment, but the two Long Island-based GOP lawmakers cast yes votes, anyway.

In various interviews, Rep. King added that he was not defending President Clinton, calling his actions "disgraceful." But impeachment and a trial in the US Senate would, in the congressman's view, adversely affect the office of the presidency for years to come.