***(Editor’s Note: Leading up to Inauguration Day on January 20th, “The Thirsty Quill” is publishing a series entitled “Ranking The Presidents.” There is no ‘exact science’ to these rankings other than personal opinion based on such factors as policy, performance, popularity, perseverance, integrity, and legacy. Aside from those Presidents ranked in the top 25% and the bottom 25%, there is a great deal of ‘wiggle room’ for discretionary placement and movement. These rankings are strictly the personal opinion of the Editor of ‘The Quill,’ and should not be regarded as an academic survey of any type. Debate of these rankings is highly encouraged and appreciated.)***

 

#39: Bill Clinton (1993-2001)

Let the heckling begin…

I am quite certain that this will be viewed as one of my more controversial selections, and I will have to present a strong case to support my feelings about President Clinton and his legacy.

Make no mistake, Clinton knows how to charm…and how to keep up ‘the image’ while wading in the moral mud that has plagued his entire adult life.  This tells me one thing: he’s either a darn good politician, or a damn good actor. His charismatic demeanor, handsome appearance, and “good old boy” smile have kept him ‘in the club’ of Washington’s elite insiders…and in the good graces of an American public that idolize him even today.

Maybe it was (and still is) his amazing capacity to deliver a moving speech or eloquent roast. Maybe it was his saxophone routines on late-night television and his interviews with MTV. Or, maybe it was the fact that most people looked right through ‘the image,’ and saw the truth: a broken man with questionable character and limited moral fortitude, who looked a whole hell of a lot like the rest of our society…and it made those very people feel ‘ok’ about their own lack of noble characteristics. After all, if the President is doing it, it’s got to be ok for the rest of us, right?

I will give credit where it is due. Clinton did balance the budget and he left office with our nation reaping the benefits of a sizable surplus. These are facts that shed a positive light on Clinton, and they cannot be ignored.

Yet, what else did he really do that keeps him so highly ranked in many current public opinion polls?

Most point to the economic progress and growth of the 1990s. Yet truth be told, the bulk of that prosperity was generated by the wave of the technology and internet boom that swelled during the decade, and therefore cannot be directly tied to Clinton’s policies or leadership. Historians and economic scholars continue to debate Clinton’s role and impact on the economic explosion, but the reality of his direct influence is nearly impossible to confirm with hard evidence.

If one is to argue that Clinton was the main source of economic leadership and guidance that oversaw the stock market surge, then by the same token one would also have to conclude that our current housing crisis was forged by his hands as well. By pressuring banks and lenders to provide loans to those who could not afford them (under programs intended to prohibit discriminatory practices in lending), the die was cast under his watch that has resulted in a weakened housing market and the highest rate of foreclosures our nation has seen in quite some time. This has, of course, played a remarkable role in our current economic recession…not to mention the long-term consequences it will wreak on property values across the country.

Clinton’s tenure was oversaturated with scandal and subsequent investigations. The Whitewater scandal revealed to the American public for the first time just how far back Bill and Hillary Clinton’s questionable business practices went, and Clinton’s pardons for the longtime associates of friends and family members remain a point of contention to this day.

Yet the deepest dent in Clinton’s armor was his uncanny knack for inappropriate sexual behavior. We all know and remember the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the blue dress, cigars, and their sexual escapades inside the Oval Office while he was supposedly engaged in Presidential duties. The 22-year-old intern’s trademark beret is still a well-recognized symbol in our collective conscience. The investigations that followed and Clinton’s denials (then wavering, and ultimately caving) led to charges of Perjury and Obstruction of Justice. Clinton was only the second President to be impeached, but like Johnson, he escaped removal from office.

Beyond Lewinsky, Clinton has been accused of inappropriate advances, sexual harassment, sexual assault, numerous extra-marital affairs, and multiple activities that Americans should not expect from their Commander-in-Chief. Names like Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers, Elizabeth Gracen, Kathleen Willey, and Sally Perdue were among the dirty laundry list that has left more than a cheap stain on Clinton’s legacy. Surely they can’t all be wrong, can they?    

As President, Clinton also managed to go eight years in office with relatively few problems or international crises to deal with. His terms coincided with the end of the Cold War, and his military cutbacks led to a false sense of security that would come back to haunt us less than a year after he left office. Surprisingly, Clinton found himself to be the benefactor of a fairly peaceful period throughout most of the world.

Beyond that, Clinton managed to sandwich himself into a position in which he could simply ‘pass down’ several of the lingering problems that he inherited when he defeated George H. W. Bush in 1992. By not dealing efficiently and effectively with a defiant Saddam Hussein in the face of U.N. resolutions, the uncured cells in Iraq were allowed to fester into a terminal case of cancer by the time George W. Bush stepped into office in 2001. I am a firm believer that BOTH George H.W. Bush (daddy) and Bill Clinton must share the burden that is the current Iraq War. Had they only taken care of Hussein during the first Gulf War, or when he violated the U.N. resolutions, perhaps our country would not be as divided on the current war that remains. Remember, even Clinton carried out military operations and numerous air strikes against Hussein and Baghdad…they were ineffective and failed to treat the disease. We’re paying for that mistake today.

There is also the unresolved issue of Osama bin Laden and the expansion of Al-Qaeda throughout the 1990s. While most are quick to point out the fact that we have yet to capture bin Laden under the leadership of George W. Bush, they have conveniently forgotten Al-Qaeda’s role in the first World Trade Center bombing back in 1993 (which left six people dead). They have also overlooked the dozens of attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda around the world during the 90s. These attacks occurred during Clinton’s terms, yet he has repeatedly dodged accepting blame in Al-Qaeda’s later success, and has often been overly critical in George W. Bush’s handling of the War on Terror. It just doesn’t make sense.

And still, despite all of these things, many Americans today are quick to offer Bill Clinton a “Free Pass” and hail him as an above average President. I, for one, would love to know why…

Notable Quotations: “There is nothing wrong in America that can’t be fixed with what is right in America.”

“The future is not an inheritance, it is an opportunity and an obligation.”

Famous Slogan/Phrase Associated With Clinton: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman,” (making reference to Monica Lewinsky…Clinton would later retract this statement and admit that he had not been forthright when he delivered it).

#39: Bill Clinton

#39: Bill Clinton

Share and Enjoy:
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Mixx