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Jan. 19th, 2001 07:20 pmTomorrow, at High Noon, George W. Bush (the W. stands for "wha?") takes the keys to the White House from Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton will then leave little furrows in the wooden floors from his fingernails as they drag him kicking and screaming down the hall and boot him out the door. That's okay, I think the Bushes were planning to sterlize and replace every bit of furniture and fabric in the entire Executive Mansion.
Thus ends the sorriest reign of a president since the still champion King of Sorry, Richard M. Nixon.
Yes, he was set up by bitter Republicans and a hero-worshipping airhead. But:
*He broke the law in two courts. I can almost (but not quite) forgive that...everyone does lie about sex, especially in court. Any other president would have resigned before the question would have been asked (including, had he lived and been threatened with a Federal Grand Jury, JFK). His cowardice is personal, however, and affected only him and those directly involved in that sloppy (so to speak) case.
*He lied point blank to the American people, insulting his girl-toy in the process. That one took longer for me to forgive, but I did when I saw the look on his face in the videotaped testimony, broadcast to the world: "Mr. President, have you ever used a cigar as a sexual aid?" There...the embarassment is now complete.
*There are rumors that people were silenced and threatened, but that goes with the territory of high power. Nixon had Liddy and the Plumbers, Clinton had Blumenthal and Carville. He did the right thing by not getting caught. Mark McCurry resigned in disgust, but too late to save his soul. There wasn't even a minor moral skirmish for Kennedy, Conyers, and Gephart.
*He let Madeline Albright approve a lie in front of the world. This, I will never forgive him for. Albright (and some minor cabinet members) made a statement in front of the international press, expressing whole-hearted belief in what Clinton had denied. When the truth became more obvious, Albright's credibility sank in reverse proportion. Albright, by force of personality, experience, and skill, had the power to create real peace in the world -- along with the reconfirmation of Bush's Greenspan, Albright was the most effective appointee Clinton had made. Then, Clinton hamstrings her by remaining quiet; a perfect example of Silence=Death. Islamic, African, and Asian countries, already distrustful of women in leadership, had an excuse to walk away from the negotiating table -- if Clinton lied to her about something as stupid as sex with his staff, would he tell her the truth about the partitioning of Jerusalem? Or the details of a Pakistani/Indian disarmament plan? Or the amount and manner of aid to Africa? Yes, it was a weak excuse, but it was an excuse readily grabbed by leaders who were looking for any reason at all to walk away and save face.
The only thing I can't forgive, even more than that last part, the thing that really makes me sick to my stomach, is the fact that I voted for the son of a bitch in '92.
Thus ends the sorriest reign of a president since the still champion King of Sorry, Richard M. Nixon.
Yes, he was set up by bitter Republicans and a hero-worshipping airhead. But:
*He broke the law in two courts. I can almost (but not quite) forgive that...everyone does lie about sex, especially in court. Any other president would have resigned before the question would have been asked (including, had he lived and been threatened with a Federal Grand Jury, JFK). His cowardice is personal, however, and affected only him and those directly involved in that sloppy (so to speak) case.
*He lied point blank to the American people, insulting his girl-toy in the process. That one took longer for me to forgive, but I did when I saw the look on his face in the videotaped testimony, broadcast to the world: "Mr. President, have you ever used a cigar as a sexual aid?" There...the embarassment is now complete.
*There are rumors that people were silenced and threatened, but that goes with the territory of high power. Nixon had Liddy and the Plumbers, Clinton had Blumenthal and Carville. He did the right thing by not getting caught. Mark McCurry resigned in disgust, but too late to save his soul. There wasn't even a minor moral skirmish for Kennedy, Conyers, and Gephart.
*He let Madeline Albright approve a lie in front of the world. This, I will never forgive him for. Albright (and some minor cabinet members) made a statement in front of the international press, expressing whole-hearted belief in what Clinton had denied. When the truth became more obvious, Albright's credibility sank in reverse proportion. Albright, by force of personality, experience, and skill, had the power to create real peace in the world -- along with the reconfirmation of Bush's Greenspan, Albright was the most effective appointee Clinton had made. Then, Clinton hamstrings her by remaining quiet; a perfect example of Silence=Death. Islamic, African, and Asian countries, already distrustful of women in leadership, had an excuse to walk away from the negotiating table -- if Clinton lied to her about something as stupid as sex with his staff, would he tell her the truth about the partitioning of Jerusalem? Or the details of a Pakistani/Indian disarmament plan? Or the amount and manner of aid to Africa? Yes, it was a weak excuse, but it was an excuse readily grabbed by leaders who were looking for any reason at all to walk away and save face.
The only thing I can't forgive, even more than that last part, the thing that really makes me sick to my stomach, is the fact that I voted for the son of a bitch in '92.
