Posted on 02/14/2010 7:59:37 AM PST by ciceroqpublic
The office of the presidency is a grand tradition. It is still, in many ways, a beacon to the world, shining as an example of what limited, moral, executive governance can be. This achievement, and plainly it is an achievement of gargantuan proportions is the result of the vision and dedication of a long string of men who have held this office. It is a product of the restraint and temperance of twenty generations of Americans that have set aside their political ambition and demonstrated temperance in politics. One need only turn to any decade on any continent of the world and an example of tyrannical world leaders will leap out. The impulse to take and hold power runs deep in man and only literate, morally motivated political populations can turn away from it. In this, America continues to shine.
The President is powerful. His moral power and his pulpit has been handed to him by this sea of American generations that fought, died, paid in treasure and marched through prejudice to vote and, most importantly for this discussion, to lose, gracefully.
Until the early seventies George Washington's farewell address was read at the opening of congress. The end of that tradition was an error. It served to remind our politicians in one small way that in America you can hold power under the condition that you willingly, cheerfully give it back. For the core of our political system is based on the idea that power is handed over to the government cautiously, jealously and with many, many strings attached.
George Washington's brilliant example has inspired President after President to honor the symbolism and methodology, that Washington followed when he stepped down from power. The stoicism of the Presidents from Adams onward has served to morph Washington's actions into a grand tradition and, arguably, a form of a common law limit on the behavior of the men who we have trusted to hold the Presidency.
Both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have ignored and trampled on this tradition. The press has responded with silence. This is deeply shameful and quietly dangerous.
Jimmy Carter has spent the thirty years meddling in world political affairs. A month doesn't go by without Ex President Carter finding a way to inject his ego into the debate. This stunningly narcissistic strategy on his part has cost the tradition of the Presidency heavily. The argument that he is brilliant, and talented, and morally motivated means nothing. Was Jefferson brilliant? Was Madison motivated? Was Theodore Roosevelt talented? These men recognized that one man's ambitions carry no weight when balanced against the security of this country's citizens in their freedom. Tyranny and dictatorship lies just around the corner for any country. Ambitious men take us there with small but important changes of course.
Bill Clinton has taken Jimmy Carter's behavior one step further. When Washington left office he attended the swearing in of his successor and then quite visibly rode out of town. Â Washington in an effort to consciously set precedent then refused to reenter the Capitol unless specifically invited by the sitting president. Bill Clinton specifically and quite visibly ignored this tradition. When he left office he moved to a hotel within the Capitol's limits. An ex President is a powerful political enemy. Keeping the president physically out of Washington is one further safeguard against them regaining power through nefarious means.
In the case of Bill Clinton his administration quietly queried Congress on the viability of changing the constitution to allow him to run again. Then as he left office he took up residence just down the street from the White House. As we all know Hillary, one half of the political powerhouse that is the Clintons came close to getting the Democratic nomination and wields enough power that the incoming President had to buy her off with the most powerful position in the Cabinet.
This couple's ambition knows no bounds. As an Ex President Bill Clinton has become more and more vocal. He speaks about foreign affairs, he speaks about domestic affairs, the only subject that is taboo is discussion of his personal affairs.
The Clinton Presidency was the most scandal ridden administration in the history of the nation. His supporters like to claim that the reason for this was the press's hatred of him. This, on its face, is absurd. The reason his Presidency was plagued by scandal was the fact that his ego rules from on high. He breaks the rules, laws and social norms and his success at being corrupt spurs him to further crimes against the public.
I did not vote for President Obama. I have a long list of serious disagreements with his actions in the first year of his Presidency. Nonetheless I am stating here that he is a much better president than Bill Clinton. Like President Bush the first year of President Obama's term has been solemnly, nobly, respectfully quiet with no scandals. This is how it should be. President Obama has many enemies and I am certain if he was using the White House swimming pool for orgies, or paying off his underage prostitute girlfriend we would have heard about it in 24 point type. Further if he had raided a local bank and used the money to pay off his gambling debts we would have heard about it. If he had fired all of the staff and replaced them with incompetent oafs we would have heard about it.
So it's plain. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs should take a stand and tell Bill Clinton to shut up. Clinton will go down in history as a terrible president and his impeachment will seem more just with the logic of hindsight. Our corrupt, arrogant, prepubescent, dishonest ex president should shut up. We the people should respond to his statements with a resounding shout of SHUT UP from now on.
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Copyright Brad Morrison/Billiken Media 2010
Actually he should shut up and die.
Hah! There’s plenty of scandal with Obama, it’s just the Media has been muzzled, or bought and paid for. Run down Clinton all you want, but don’t use him as a barometer to measure Obama by...you can’t give Obummer brownie points by saying he’s not as bad as Clinton.
You know actually I wish Obama would SHUT UP! Every time he imparts on us some of his ‘wisdom’ the DOW goes down 100 points!
He will never shut up because he is incapapble of it. He is a complete narcissist.You always read about how he expects people to hang on his every word. When I read about how busy he is w/ the work on his “foundation” I want to laugh. He would not know geniune hard work if it bit him.Ugh, go away.....
I thought the article was from The Onion.
The guy is such a narcissist. He won’t be silent. OBama is even worse. Obama as ex-POTUS will be vocal, interfere with anything the next POTUS tries, and will undermine this country in any way he can.
...I want Clinton to stay active and manage Hilllary’s 2012 presidential primary challenge...anything he can do to bring chaos to the DEMS helps us.
say what you will, Clinton did not go out to deliberately destroy the economy. Perhaps it was because he had a republican congress. Perhaps it was because he was also a consummate political creature and understood his limitations. As much as I despise Clinton, he was a better president than Obama will ever be.
longfellow,
That’s terrible.
And I couldn’t have said it better.
Clinton, and Carter too.
this guy is like a bad movie monster.
Jimmah Carter is the Bart Simpson of Presidents... but no doubt about it Clintoon is the Homer Simpson of Presidents.. G.W. Bush must be the Marge Simpson.. BUT Obama is the Dale Gribble.. of King of the Hill.. Gibbs is the Boomhauer and Pelosi is the LuAnne his niece.. Harry Reid must be the Hank Hills Boss..
Welcome to Free Republic!
we are suffering the clinton legacy, open borders, the executive order that
put spanish language signs in emergency rooms guaranteeing the right to
free medical care, leftwing activists judges, mortgage fiasco, etc.
the list is endless. if hillarycare had passed, he’d have been the same
as obama.
Agree 100%...Clinton may have been morally deficient, but he was no communist. Make no mistake, ObaMarx is a commie masquerading as a “change agent”. He is evil and wants to destroy our very foundations. No way to compare Clinton and Obama. Clinton annoyed the hell out of me, but I never feared for my country until last year.
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