http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/2003-05-26-wickham_x.htm
How sweet it is: Respect for Clinton rebounds among Americans By DeWayne Wickham Who would have thought it? Some two years after he left office hounded by right-wing detractors and stained by his affair with Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton now ranks as this nation's third best chief executive, according to a recent CNN/USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. Only Abraham Lincoln (chosen by 15%) and John F. Kennedy (13%) finished ahead of Clinton (11%) in the April poll, which asked Americans who was "the greatest" president. George W. Bush managed to tie Clinton for third place. Ronald Reagan, a conservative icon, garnered 10% of the vote, followed by Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington, Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter. Bush's father, the 41st president, was chosen by just 2% of the respondents, tying with Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson. These results have to cause a lot of gnashing of teeth among those who tried to make Clinton's private missteps the legacy of his public service. To them, he is the "Great Satan" of this nation's ideological divide. He ended conservatives' 12-year hold on the White House and frustrated their attempts to paint him as a "tax-and-spend liberal" � which makes him a hero in my book. When Clinton left office, the huge deficit that piled up during the years of Reagan and Bush Sr. had been replaced by the largest federal budget surplus in history. Employment and homeownership had soared; poverty and unemployment rates had dropped. But these accomplishments were overshadowed by the distracting noise generated by the right-wing sex cops who ignored the indiscretions within their own ranks while making a federal case, literally and figuratively, out of Clinton's marital infidelity. The passage of time, however, puts some things into proper perspective. Lewinsky now hosts a reality television show. And remember Kenneth Starr? The special prosecutor who turned a lame investigation of charges that Clinton and his wife illegally profited from an Arkansas land deal into a $50 million taxpayer-financed peep show has faded from public view. In 9/11's wake, Americans seem more focused on elected officeholders' work than their personal lives. When asked to name the USA's "most important problem," 52% of those responding to a May Gallup Poll said it is the economy. Just 8% said it is terrorism. This may explain why the number of people who view Clinton as the best president has more than doubled in the past two years � and why Bush managed only to tie Clinton in this ranking. Many Americans are once again worried about pocketbook issues, and many of them remember the Clinton years' good economic times. "It's the economy, stupid" � the mantra of Clinton's 1992 campaign that bounced Bush-the-father out of the White House � is again the prevailing political reality. As economic conditions worsen on the watch of Bush-the-son, the good economic times that prevailed during Clinton's years boost his image, especially among younger Americans. Clinton was considered the best president by 29% of 18- to 29-year-olds. Only 10% of that group picked Bush. All of this makes me giddy. As a candidate, Clinton was the Republican Party's worst nightmare. He grabbed the political center, yet held on to most of his party's liberal base. As president, he routinely outflanked Republicans' legislative efforts and frustrated the GOP's attempts to make his moral failing an impeachable offense. Now Americans put him in the top ranks of great presidents. This has to make conservatives squirm. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
