Clinton Prez. or life? Who would be dumb enugh to ask for it .... must be a polly.

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

educational use only!! ( ha this IS educational )

Beneath Clinton's Sunny Outlook, Lingering Anger By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - From all appearances, President Clinton has a sunny outlook on the remainder of his White House tenure, happy to push his priorities and revel in a strong economy.

But lurking just beneath the surface is a deep vein of lingering anger at the impeachment drama that has forever scarred what would otherwise seem to be a respectable record.

From Clinton's perspective, the House of Representatives' impeachment of him last year and the Senate's subsequent trial over the Monica Lewinsky affair was an attempt by his political opponents to toss him out of office.

His strong defense of himself, according to his view, was admirable in that it protected the Constitution.

``I think historians will say that I did the right thing to stand against a tide that would have done permanent and terrible damage to the Constitution and the framework,'' he said in a recent ABC News interview.

``And I made a personal mistake, and they spent $50 million trying to ferret it out and root it out, because they had nothing else to do, because all the other charges were totally false -- bogus, made up and people were persecuted because they wouldn't commit perjury against me,'' he said.

In the wake of those comments, the Washington Post has cried foul, saying Clinton's contention that he only made a ``personal mistake'' was ``a phrase that seems to refer only to his sexual exploits rather than to his false testimony about them and his willingness to see others testify falsely to cover them up.''

``The president dragged the country through months of trauma to fight allegations that were, at least in the main, true. His operatives smeared political and legal opponents. To this day, he has never acknowledged the harm he did. As to his behavior, there was nothing 'right' about it,'' the Post said in an editorial this week.

Last Dec. 19, Clinton's roller-coaster presidency had hit rock bottom. The House had voted to impeach him. He was hearing calls for his resignation to spare the country the pain of an impeachment trial in the Senate.

Now, he is hearing calls of adulation from Democratic supporters on his frequent travels around the country raising money for next year's elections and rallying the faithful.

Late last month on a visit to Philadelphia campaigning for Democrat John Street, who would go on to win his race for mayor, one loud supporter yelled out that Clinton should be ''president-for-life.''

Elsewhere, there are calls for ``four more years.''

The president, in speeches and interviews, is increasingly reflective about his term and pinning his hopes on historical redemption on the strength of the U.S. economy, which is nearing an unprecedented peacetime expansion.

``People come to me all the time and say, 'Hasn't this been just awful for you?''' Clinton told a Democratic National Committee Hispanic Dinner this week.

``I say, no. It's actually been quite wonderful. You know, a few turns in the road one way or the other and I could be home doing deeds, wills and divorces,'' he said.

Clinton does sound wistful, almost sorrowful, that the Constitution bars him from running for a third term, turning him into a bystander as his vice president, Al Gore, tries to succeed him and his wife, Hillary, runs for a New York Senate seat.

``I love the job and I would continue to do it if I could,'' he said during an online town hall meeting this week. ``I would not willingly give up any day of the opportunity to serve as president.''

Americans seem of two minds on the president. In general, his public approval rating is staying around 60 percent. But the Lewinsky scandal appears to have taken a toll.

A new poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that ``a hangover from the scandals of the Clinton administration'' is hurting Democratic chances of retaining the White House -- whether the nominee is Gore or former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley.

Looking ahead to the post-White House phase of his life, Clinton has made clear he will not be fading into obscurity. He plans to build a presidential library and public policy center in Little Rock, Arkansas, from which he will work on issues like the economy, the environment, and racial, religious and ethnic tensions.

``These big issues I've worked on as president, I want to find a way to continue to work on at my library and center in a way that doesn't get in the way of the next president,'' he told the online town hall meeting.

``I do think I can be a good citizen and help solve a lot of these problems and continue to move us forward,'' he said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Rickjohn (rickjohn1@yahoo.com), November 12, 1999

Answers

i love this article. thanks for posting it. what a hoot. first of all i like the quote, "what would SEEM like a respectable record"!!!! plus where does a narcissist go when he has hit his glass ceiling. UN maybe? trust me--we ain't seen the last of him yet. he is looking for his next job. i just don't think i have ever seen a president be so open about his struggle with it. other than nixon maybe.

-- tt (cuddluppy@yahoo.com), November 12, 1999.

``The president dragged the country through months of trauma to fight allegations that were, at least in the main, true. His operatives smeared political and legal opponents. To this day, he has never acknowledged the harm he did. As to his behavior, there was nothing 'right' about it,'' the Post said in an editorial this week.

...(hitting the)...

-- snooze button (alarmclock_2000@yahoo.com), November 12, 1999.


"respectable record"!!!?!??!?!!? BWAHAAHaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!! Your kidding me right?!?!?! This jerk (the author, not you rickjohn) should be fired for this piece of DRIVEL! WHAT A FOOL!!

-- Crono (Crono@timesend.com), November 12, 1999.

Maybe we will be lucky and he goes back to arkansas and od's on coke

-- sandy (rstyree@overland.net), November 12, 1999.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ