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| Home Front: Politix |
| One last Reagan tribute, comparing his legacy to Clinton |
| 2004-06-15 |
| On Monday evening in New York, a graying, sixtyish man is sitting before his television set, a drink in one hand, a stogie in the other. Heâs watching Ronald Reaganâs family as they accompany his flag-draped coffin into the Reagan Presidential Library. As uniformed pallbearers gently lower the casket, his family, the media, and the soldiers who will guard the late president during his last public hours watch in absolute, reverential silence. It is a powerful and poignant moment. Moments later, television cameras reveal a vast parking lot jammed with thousands of cars; their owners are waiting in line to board the bus that will take them to the Library to pay their final respects. More than a hundred thousand others are expected to do the same when the casket lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda before the 40th President is finally laid to rest on Friday, at sunset, in his beloved California. It was be a sad week for the millions of Americans who loved and admired Reagan. But one cannot help thinking thatâapart from Reaganâs family--the week was saddest of all for this man who watched events unfold from his New York home. He watched the outpouring of love and respect, hearing the stories of Reaganâs humor, his integrity, loyalty and leadershipâand one imagines his fingers curling into a frustrated fist. At the confident assertions that Reagan will be remembered as one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century, one pictures this man cursing in fury before leaping up to pour himself another drink. Of course, he may not be doing anything of the kind. But you have to wonder: What have the last few days been like for Bill Clinton? He would scarcely be human if he did not observe the respect and adulation that is Ronald Reaganâs legacy, and wonder how his own funeral will play out. What stirring lines from his famous speeches will be recalled? What great moments in his presidency will be shown over and over again? Which of his former aides will be rushed onto cable news shows, and what stories will they tell? Bill Clinton is surely asking himself those questions this week--and one cannot help thinking that the answers are giving him heartburn. Take the matter of public utterances. The single most memorable line from the Reagan era, repeated hundreds of times since Saturday, is Reaganâs famous challenge to the head of what was then the Evil Empire: âMr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!â What single, memorable line will we always associate with Bill Clinton? I put this question to my 15-year-old, a boy born at the end of Reaganâs reign and, and who has lived more than half his life under Clinton. He grinned and affected a Clintonesque drawl: âI did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky!â And then thereâs matter of foreign policy achievements. Commentators are crediting Reagan for playing a significant role in ending the Cold War. Clinton also pressed a number of foreign policy initiatives, and I invited my kids to name one. My 18-year-old furrowed his brow. âDidnât he bomb an aspirin factory in Sudan?â he asked. Well, yesâhe did, but if thatâs the first thing that arrives in the mind of the next generationâthe generation that will write the first serious history of the Clinton era--somebody had better get Bill another drink. It gets worse. Since the hour of Reaganâs death, no event in his life, great or small, has escaped media scrutiny. Correspondents are recalling how Reagan snatched Grenada from Communist hands, his love for jelly beans, and the fact that once, during his Hollywood days, he shared top billing with a chimp. Bill Clinton, by contrast, will be remembered for his failure to snatch bin Laden, his love of pretty interns, and for the fact that he was once impeached. Every presidency has its famous photos, and Reagan is no exception. In the hours after his death, the press trotted out pictures of Reagan in jeans and a cowboy hat, riding his horse at the ranch; Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate, Reagan on the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, reminding the world what the Greatest Generation did for us. When Clinton dies, I am betting we will see, over and over again, what is arguably the most famous picture of his presidency: That of the president being hugged by a dark-haired girl wearing a beret. When former presidents die, we recall, not only their deeds, but the deeds of their wives. Nancy Reagan is being remembered this week as an intensely loyal wife who adored her husband and did her best to protect him. By contrast, Bill Clintonâs wife will be remembered for throwing ashtrays at him when she got mad, and whose lust for power outstripped her husbandâs lust for interns. During the long twilight years of Reaganâs suffering, Nancy lovingly nursed her husband. One somehow cannot imagine Hillary devoting 10 years of her life caring for an ailing Bill Clinton. Last week, the networks noted that Ronald Reagan said what he meant and meant what he said. He called the former Soviet Union the âevil empireâ because it was evil. By contrast, the man who once told a grand jury âIt depends on what the meaning of the word âisâ isâ will be remembered for the most creative dissembling in presidential history. Reagan is remembered for governing by a set of long-held principles; Clinton will be remembered for governing by the latest poll. Reaganâs aides recall his unfailing courtesy; Reminiscing Clinton staffers will likely recallâwith a shudder--the way their boss screamed obscenities at them when things went wrong. Reagan took great care in his personal appearance; Clinton will be forever remembered for the way he looked in running shorts. Both Reagan and Clinton will be remembered for waging ferocious wars: Reagan on an evil power that enslaved millions, and Clinton on unborn babies. Reagan and Clinton do have a few things in common. Both set prisoners freeâReagan, the millions enslaved by communism; Clinton, a colorful assortment of crooks on his last day in office. Reagan is being remembered as âThe Great Communicator,â a term that symbolizes the success of his Administration. Clinton will be rememberedâin the words of a London wagâas âBonking Bill,â a nickname that symbolizes both his moral failures and his failed presidency. And this is the reason we ought, at the passing of Ronald Reagan, to spare a thought or two for Bill Clinton. In a few months, we will hold a presidential election. Reagan and Clinton remind us that character really does matterâthatâcontrary to what we are often told--personal moral shortcomings are directly and critically related to public behavior. Character is why, when it comes to Reagan, Americans automatically think âstrength and service.â The lack of character is why, when we remember Clinton, we think âsex and scandal.â Character is why Reagan is remembered for tremendous achievements that benefited millions at home and abroad; Clintonâs presidency will be forever remembered for a series of tawdry events that almost toppled his presidency and tarnished our nation. When we tell the stories of the next president, when we play back the soundbites of his or her administration, will we summon up a legacy of arrogance and abuse, or one of decency and distinction? As for that man sitting in New York, nursing his drinkâthere are many who think he escaped his rightful punishment for the various and sundry felonies he committed. They should relax: Retribution arrived this week in the form of having to watch tributes to a very great leaderâaccolades he knows will never come his way. On the day of his death, this man will remembered, in large part, for his scandals and failures. But a hundred years from now, even the scandals will be largely forgotten. Like James Polk, Zachary Taylor, and Grover Cleveland, William Jefferson Clinton will become a forgotten footnote of history, a president Americans must strain to remember. And for a man likely to live several more decadesâthis historical payback is the worst punishment of all. |
| Posted by:Korora |
| #5 Tribute? It's an insult to Reagan that he was even mentioned in the same article! |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-06-15 8:42:36 PM |
| #4 Damn what Carters catch phrase gonna be? "I asked Amy what she thought of America's foreign policy..." |
| Posted by: Pappy 2004-06-15 7:31:05 PM |
| #3 Why even bother with such an insipid comparison? It's not even close! Clinton is to class & dignity like Richard Simmons is to machismo. Shipman - I'm thinking "Bad wabbit! Bad wabbit!!" |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-06-15 12:52:59 PM |
| #2 Damn what Carters catch phrase gonna be? "Lower your thermostats to 60 at night and consider the purchase of a fine alpaca sweater such as I am wearing" Naw... I am a have the joy joy joy joy down in my loins down in my loins..... |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-06-15 12:47:12 PM |
| #1 Forget Clinton, imagine what Carter must have been thinking all week. Every mention of how Reagan pulled the economy out of the mess it was in is a backhanded slap at Carter. Every comment on how the Soviets had peeked in their expansion before Reagan rolled them back is a direct punch in the gut to Carter. I bet its been a long week for little Jimmy. |
| Posted by: Yank 2004-06-15 12:32:29 PM |