President Clinton, in the opinion of Judge Susan Webber Wright, may be boorish and offensive, but he’s no sexual predator. The most surprising thing about the Arkansas jurist’s dismissal of the Paula Jones case Wednesday is that anyone is all that surprised.

Mrs. Jones is not the first woman to be hit upon by a loutish boss, nor, sadly, will she be the last. It happens all the time in workplaces large and small throughout the land. She also is not the first woman to fume about the offense for too long — in this instance, three years — before making a formal complaint, to allow the central issue to become entangled in peripheries, to fail to prove demonstrable harm to anything other than the psyche. No grievance was filed, no work was missed, no raises or promotions were denied. The damage could not be tallied in dollars and cents, so it didn’t count. It’s a story that’s all too common.

For the president, his supporters and flacks, this is no cause for celebration. Vindication in only the legal sense does not entirely remove the tarnish from the office. The presidential agenda — from improving relations with Cuba to establishing national education standards — still must face an angry, Republican-controlled Congress. In fact, the GOP, with its impeachment prospects gone, may well stiffen its opposition in the legislative arena.

That renewed Republican resolve depends upon the party developing something resembling statesmanship instead of silliness. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott responded to the legal news of the day by speculating that, since the president’s approval ratings soared during the scandal, they could well dive now that he’s been semi-absolved. That’s not even a good sound bite.

Judge Wright’s straightforward ruling certainly clarifies why Kenneth Starr was so tempted by that cushy Pepperdine job. Even the most politicized prosecutor recognizes a bum case when he sees it. Starr now says he’ll expedite his Whitewater investigation, knowing full well his quarry will be retired and autographing memoirs long before his rusting trap gets sprung.

It would be nice if something good came of this protracted mess. The news media, for instance, might review its responsibility to verify and authenticate. Those who profess to stand for something, such as feminist/presidential apologists Anita Hill and Gloria Steinem, might reassess the relative merits of principles vs. political expediency. President Clinton might start behaving himself. Sen. Lott might start making sense. The voting public, which swears character counts, might someday decide actually to vote for it.