But he has also left the door open for a censure option to come to the House floor through the Rules Committee.

Representative Tom DeLay, the Republican whip, fears that permitting a censure option would siphon votes away from impeachment.

Representative Amo Houghton, a moderate Republican from upstate New York, said: "There will be a censure option.

The latest polls show that the censure option is popular among Americans but that people have also grown weary of the scandal.

Republicans may also find that they can seize on the censure option to burnish their party's image.

He argued against a censure option.

In a significant shift, the White House moved from a crouch to aggressively support a censure option.

That there will be no censure option, he believes, makes things more complicated.

She was among the first Democrats to openly condemn the President's conduct and she has nudged the censure option along from initial ostracism to near-popularity.

He said he was undecided on impeachment and would like a censure option if impeachment is defeated.