Posted on 11/29/2004 5:51:44 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
The University of Arkansas Press has published the first scholarly assessment of Bill Clinton's presidency, titled "The Clinton Riddle."
The compilation of essays by 11 of the nation's top political scientists and historians concludes that Clinton was "a pragmatic and defensive player" who was at his best when under attack.
At the same time, it says 100 years from now, people still will be trying to figure out the lessons of the Clinton era.
The book promises to be more even-handed than the presidential library and museum in Little Rock, which presents some of the controversies of Clinton's presidency squarely from his perspective. The library opened with a gala celebration and has already been criticized for downplaying impeachment, the Whitewater investigation and Clinton's sex scandals.
Jeannie Whayne said she and other editors of "The Clinton Riddle" worked hard to present an unbiased work.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
His legacy is the blue dress.
What's to analyze? He's a shallow human being and was a shallow president. No one's denying he's a clever politician, but that's really all he had going for him.
The Clinton Riddle, or Devil with the Blue Dress on...
At the same time, it says 100 years from now, people still will be trying to figure out the lessons of the Clinton era.
Clinton should be remembered for several things: a fatuous foreign policy plus military and security policies that set the stage for 9/11; for blocking any action that might have prevented the Rwanda genocide, the worst mass-murder since the downfall of Pol Pot; for an unparalleled record of corruption that puts all previous scandal-ridden administrations in the shade. The Lewinsky scandal, useful for exposing some of Clinton's methods, is just the tip of the iceberg.
He actually did VERY little as President. You can always stump a Clinton supporter by asking them what Clinton DID that was so great.
One hundred years from now people will point to him as an example of a corrupt charlatan who fooled many and was akin to the snakeoil salesmen from an earlier American era (and perhaps worse, if a thorough assessment and evaluation of that administration is examined). He'll be looked upon with scorn and contempt.
They won't be personally emotionally invested as some of these "analysts" clearly are, so they won't be struggling to "figure out" the obvious: Clinton won due to Ross Perot and a President Bush 41 who, during the '92 campaign, came across as detached and apathetic (but history will record that affection for 41 grew as the years went by, while revulsion of clinton did the same).
No one's denying he's a clever politician, but that's really all he had going for him.
<< "The Clinton Riddle" >>
Better: "The Clinton Piddle."
Dan
I get less angry thinking about the Clintons when I put them in their proper historical perspective... as the murderers of the Democrat party, the agents that took it so far out of the mainstream that they can no longer win an election.
The Clinton administration was so devoid of any real accomplishments that nobody will be talking about it 100 years from now.
That's exactly what makes these platitudes about "the Clinton economy" so idiotic. If there is anyone who thinks "the economy" is ever a major issue in a historical sense, I would ask them what the growth in GDP was during the administration of Chester Arthur, or what the average U.S. unemployment rate was during the Franklin Pierce administration, etc.
"...His legacy is the blue dress...."
Along with some missing buildings in lower Manhattan, a major renovation at the Petagon, a crater in Pensylvannia, and roughly 3,000 instantly dearly departed in a four hour streatch.
LOL! Better!
Dan
1. surround your administration with lawyers and spin doctors who can manipulate the MSM.
2. throw the MSM enough "bones" so they never really write anything negative
3. when threatened, never be afraid to use the power of the office to steamroll someone
4. be a good speaker; image goes a long way.
I'll post more details later, but one incident in particular stands out as the clincher in my mind.
And he did do that perfectly.....
He was as good a political operator as we will see as a President for a long time. Generally people like him end up as the karl Roves of the world....
Of course he also liked to step on his wang and twist from time to time too...
his Presidency wasnt what one would call great, but you know what, I would bet he is a great guy to party with if you are single, because, as I said, he is getting the chicks :)
That is how I will remember him. Name any other President that would want THAT legacy? :)
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