Monday, January 21, 2008

Bill Clinton trashes the presidency -- again

By Rick Morris

I am anything but a Barack Obama partisan. But I agree with one point that he and other leading Democrats are making loud and clear today: that Bill Clinton continues to trash the dignity of the presidency in ways utterly unprecedented in the long history of our republic.

Former presidents, in exchange for the immense respect granted to them by dint of the fact that they occupied our country's highest office, are supposed to conduct themselves in a manner that will not embarrass us. But Clinton has always reeked of the kind of person who'd go on QVC to hock autographed pairs of his used underwear if he thought it would work to his advantage. What's a little base attack dog politicking among friends?

Granted, Slick Willie is in some uncharted waters here, what with trying to get a former First Lady elected as President of These United States. But notwithstanding the effort to make Hillary the Lurleen Wallace of the new millennium, the trade-off in terms of regaining power versus retaining respect that Bill Clinton is trying to make is completely wrong. For it is not respect for him personally that he is squandering, it is the respect our nation has placed in him as a holder of our most revered office.

It is a tad funny to see many Obama supporters exercising outrage about Clinton's descent into anything-goes politics at their expense. I wonder how many of them were similarly chagrined when he debased the Oval Office with his sexcapades, or discussed his choice in underwear on national television or brought down the dignity of the office in a host of other unprecedented ways? Darn few, I bet; in politics it's always a matter of whose ox is being gored.

Here's hoping that the next time the Democratic Party succeeds in electing a president that it care ALL of the time about the character and dignity of the person as opposed to merely when it suits the need of the moment.

1 comment:

Tony Mazur said...

Bill Clinton is all that is wrong with the Democratic Party. Besides the fact that they would choose to kill a baby but salvage an oak tree, this party has been in disarray for 70 years, when unions were still relevant.

In my opinion, Bill Clinton was the worst president in American history. What made him look good was the influx of technology during his presidency. Everyone bought a computer and many logged onto the Internet, cell phones were carried around, and Walkmans and CD players became commonplace.

Clinton wasn't about politics. Bangin' chicks that weren't his wife, smoking pot, going to crazy parties, playing an instrument, etc. That's not the life of a president, much less a politician. That's the life of a rock star.

But, of course, this is all a big joke.

I personally don't think Bill wants to be the "First Man", because it'll make him look like a fag. He's the last guy to be concerned with having a bad image.

I find it funny, too, that Obama's people are outraged. The same campaign that will pull all of the racial stops is outraged. I can't wait to see Obama grow a beard and put on weight after he loses this election, just like Al Gore.