For the first time, Clinton also sought forgiveness from Monica Lewinsky, the young White House intern who has been portrayed as a scarlet wench in what has arguably become the most described sex scandal in history.

``I have sinned,'' the President said plainly in a wrenching speech at the National Prayer Breakfast meeting the White House hosts annually.

``I cannot move beyond or forget this... I ask for your help in healing the nation,'' a repentant, down and out Clinton told the largely religious gathering.

There was no holding back, no fire or fighting spirit in his latest apology, the most abject in a series of progressively more contrite meaculpas he has made.

In fact, the President made a stunning and dramatic admission, admitting his spirit was broken, although he said his heart was still strong enough to ensure that ``good can come out of this for this country, me and my family.''

It was the only indication that he would not throw in the towel on a day when most political soothsayers, critics, foreign diplomats and even supporters began to write him off. The speculation in Washington centered around not if he will resign, but when he will resign or be forced out of office.

Washington's brutal and unsparing punditocracy appears to believe he cannot hang on.

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives began the constitutional process that could lead to Clinton's impeachment.

Amid objections from several Democrats, the House decided to make public Independent Counsel Ken Starr's report even before President Clinton or his lawyers could see the 445-page charge-sheet which is said to lay out 11 possible grounds for his impeachment,including lying, obstructing justice, tampering with witnesses and abuse of power.

The report will be posted on the Internet at www.house.gov/icreport and www.thomas.loc.gov/icreport. The Independent Counsel's office has provided the report on floppy discs to the Congress.

In effect, the President and his lawyers will read it at the same time as the American public, and indeed the rest of the world. More than 50 per cent of American homes are wired to the Internet. Many Democrats, including Richard Gephardt, the minority leader in the House, said it was unfair that the President was not getting to see the charges against him ahead of the public.

Indications are that the report contains sections aimed at disproving the President's initial contention that he did not have sexual relations with Lewinsky. Some of the portions are said to be graphic and salacious because they deal with his later argument that what he did not legally constitute sexual activity.

But at the National PrayerMeeting this morning the President dropped all pretense and came clean. Visibly heavy-hearted, he read softly from a Jewish liturgy asking that God give him a clean heart and ``ask me to let me love my family, love my neighbours and be an instrument of Gods peace.''

In one immensely poignant moment, he sought help and healing from the people. He said his wrongdoing could help children learn that integrity is important and selfishness is wrong.

``I have repented. I... must have God's help to be the person that I want to be. A willingness to give the very forgiveness I seek. A renunciation of the pride and the anger, which cloud judgment, lead people to excuse and compare and to blame and complain,'' Clinton said.

Similar contrition was apparently on show on Thursday evening when he called a meeting of his full Cabinet and apologised to them for what he had put them through. He had last held a Cabinet meeting in January in which he told them he did not have any sexual relations with Lewinsky. Based onthat assertion, several Cabinet members had publicly defended him.

Meanwhile, First Lady Hillary Clinton also made a public appearance with the President at a Democratic Party fund-raising dinner last night where she declared her pride and admiration for her husband. The couple also embraced lightly.