When Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States, and even before he got into office, the Clinton haters started their campaigns of "Let's get Bill Clinton". Mind you this was long before Travel Gate, any of the other "Gates", Monica Lewensky or any of his other alleged or real Presidential transgressions. The political right put him at the top of their hit list before he even took the oath of office.

And now, as he nears the end of his presidency, I'd like to reflect on Bill Clinton....Both of them!! Bill Clinton, the man and Bill Clinton, the President. Many right wing pundits would have us believe that they're one in the same, but they're not. In fact they're often as different as night and day.

To say that Bill Clinton, the man is not perfect would be much the same as saying the Chicago Bulls may not win the NBA championship this year. He's a long way from perfect. He's flawed in many respects (as are all of us in some way). He cheated on his wife and got caught, he lied about it and got caught, again. He was impeached by the Senate but still managed to retain his Presidency. He's a man who people say, with some justification, has lied to the American people. Well, hey, folks, this certainly can't be the man we want for our President. He's a scoundrel and should be booted out of office. Right?

But hold on. National polls put his Presidential (not his personal) popularity at over 70% immediately after his impeachment. How can this be? How, in God's name, can 70% of the population think he's doing a good job as President after all the dirty laundry we've uncovered about the man over the past seven years? The reason is as crystal clear as it is simple. We're not the sheep the right wing would like to believe we are, who can be herded around by a few clever political sheep dogs, otherwise known as hired spin doctors. The American public is quite capable of independent thought and, wonder of wonders, we can separate Clinton, the man from Clinton, the President.

The Republican party threw everything they had at Bill Clinton, the man and the President. Newt Gingrich took his best shots and is now out of political office. Bob Dole had his time at bat and he too is gone from the political scene (although he seems to have found new life as a Viagra salesman). Ken Starr, the right wing's hired political assassin, spent five years and an ungodly amount of our money to dig up all of the dirt he could on Clinton and, other than the Monica Lewinsky scandal and it's aftermath, he found nothing behind the innuendoes and accusations that could be deemed as criminal behavior by Bill or Hillary Clinton. He found nothing in White Water (the only area he was originally chartered to investigate), travel Gate, File Gate or any other "Gate". My God, it's a wonder Starr didn't try to blame the problems of Bill Gates on Clinton.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the United States economy and the welfare of it's citizens was booming like never before as the stock market reached all time new highs, inflation was in check, unemployment had all but disappeared, the national debt was finally under control, and the country was enjoying its greatest period of prosperity in decades. Coincidence, you say? I think not.

As the majority of our citizens were able to clearly see for themselves, Bill Clinton may not be terribly good for himself, but he and his Presidency, have been very good for the United States. He has proven to be an extremely capable leader, both at home and abroad. As a country, we're much better off today than we were when George Bush, Senior left office.

But still, in newspaper columns and on political and other television and radio talk shows, the right wing keeps hammering away that Bill Clinton will be remembered as the worst President the United States has ever known. It's become a tired old cliché that one can deflate by simply looking around and seeing the condition of our country. To be sure we do not have a perfect country nor has Bill Clinton been a perfect President. Just like each and every one of his predecessors he's made mistakes, but overall he's done very well by us.

Please don't misconstrue what I'm saying to think I admire Bill Clinton the man. I do not. He made some serious mistakes, both in his marriage and with the truth. I would have no sympathy for the man if Hillary made him sleep in a broom closet in the basement of the White House for the rest of his term in office. But that's their business and like most Americans, I'm able to separate one Bill Clinton from the other.

As the leader of this country, through the majority of the 1990's, I have much respect for the President, his policies and his hard work. Because of them, most of us are better off than we were seven years ago when he took office. And all the nay saying and attacks by the political and religious right cannot change that one simple fact.

©2000 by Ken Kreps. This article may not be re-published in electronic or print media without the express written permission of the author. All rights reserved.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ken Kreps lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife.  He has written a number of published articles, essays and short stories, as well as numerous consumer and business pieces.  Ken has also written scripts for Imagination Theater, an award winning audio drama series heard on over 150 commercial radio stations across the nation.

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