Saturn Repair: Saturn AC Clutch, saturn sw2, seperatly

Question
I have a '97 Saturn SW2 and just noticed an unusual noise coming from the engine compartment -
a metallic knock that reminds me of the sound made by a bad bearing on an idler pully (I've had that happen to me on a Subaru).
When I check under the hood, I see a small amount of oil at the edge of the AC clutch pully and a telltale trace of oil directly underneath the clutch as if it had been slung off while it was spinning. The AC still works fine, by the way.
Is my AC clutch about to fail? What checks can I do? Is is safe to use the AC under these conditions and can an AC clutch be replaced separately (assuming that is the problem)?
Thanks in advance for your help.

Answer
Rob,
 Yes, I would have to say that you are about to lose your compressor.  I say this because it sounds like the front seal on the compressor has given out.  You can replace the clutch seperatly, but in your case, I would replace the entire compressor.  Hope this helps.

Chris