Posted on 12/27/2005 6:08:35 AM PST by Sub-Driver
Clinton Scandals are High School Textbook Fixtures
The impeachment of former President Clinton is in a gray area of history, too long ago to be a current event, too recent to be judged in perspective.
Yet history is already judging Clinton in the place where millions of students get their information about him - textbooks.
Seven years after he was impeached in a scandal of sex, perjury and bitter politics, Clinton has become a fixture in major high school texts.
The impeachment is portrayed in the context of his two-term tenure, a milestone event, but not one that overshadows how Clinton handled the economy, crime and health care.
The most commonly used texts give straightforward recaps of Clinton's toughest days, with some flavor of how it affected the nation. Absent are any the lurid details of his relationship with Monica Lewinksy that spiced up daily news reports and late-night talk shows as the scandal and impeachment played out in 1998 and early 1999.
"It should not be in the book for titillating purposes or settling scores," said Alan Brinkley, the Columbia University provost who has written or contributed to several history text books. "It should be in the book because of its significance to our recent history."
Clinton was president from 1993 to 2001, the growing-up years of today's high school students. Even today's oldest high school students were only 10 or 11 during the height of the scandal, and today's middle schoolers were just approaching or entering first grade.
So, for students, the impeachment is literally a subject for the history books.
"This is very difficult for everybody, because it's so fresh," said Gilbert Sewall, director of the American Textbook Council, an independent research group that reviews history texts used in schools.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
If they would only let me teach a class in Clinton Bimbology (101), it would clear everything up for these young'uns
There was plenty of corruption from Whitewater, to travelgate, to pardongate to letting Bin-Laden and other terrorists go free to giving the Chinese W-80 nuke technology among other secrets... to...
There were coverups of all kinds of Clinton friends dead bodies, including Hillaroo's former boyfriend Vince Foster...
You would need a whole set of textbooks on Clinton scandals to just scratch the surface.
RELEASE THE BARRET REPORT!
I'm looking forward to Hitlery hitting the red state campaign trail with hubby Bill, "the Cigarmeister", in tow.
Harding is considered among the very worst of our presidents. Textbook editors should look to see how Harding has been handled, and then handle Clinton similarly.
So when are we going to get to see the entire report recently completed by Independent Counsel David Barrett?
American taxpayers coughed up more than 20 million dollars for the report. Don't we get to see it?
Wot?
Oh.. roght. It's bad for the Clintons. MSM's spike's got it. It's not for the little people to see.
Never mind.
"f they would only let me teach a class in Clinton Bimbology (101), it would clear everything up for these young'uns"
:-D :-D :-D
It's a shame, really, that these "history books" won't deal with the REAL Clinton legacy: scandal, perjury, obstruction of justice, campaign finance shenanigans, treason, sexual harassment, lying about the "surplus" and disbarrment.
Those, along with impeachment, are carved in stone.
"RELEASE THE BARRET REPORT!"
Looked it up in Google: There it was, all about the Barret Report (from the FreeRepublic article on the same).
If they don't talk about Clintbilly's sex, how can they talk about his lying about the sex? It was the lying that got him in hot water with the GOP in Congress.
I don't understand how a historian could allege that Harding was not involved in any sexual liaisons. A child was born as a result, conceived in a closet or some small room in the White House. I believe she is still alive, and became quite active in improving the status of illegitimate children.
He sure didn't have much in the way of facts in his consideration of Thomas Jefferson. (See my Dec 7, 2002 review at Amazon.)
ML/NJ
Some historians may give Harding a good rating. And perhaps he deserves them. However, almost immediately after Harding's death, he was not viewed that way. For many decades, Harding was seen as an incompetent man, a good campaigner, but poor administrator, blind to the corruption of his administration, and unfaithful to his wife. For decades, this is how he was portrayed, and children were taught this in school (I was, in the 1960's).
Was Harding portrayed as the very worst of Presidents? No, that has traditionally been Buchanan. But Harding was portrayed as among the worst.
Perhaps Clinton will eventually be seen in a good light. I don't see how. I don't think that will ever happen. But for short-term perspective, I do not see how he can be seen differently than Harding. A shameful presidency. IMO, for decades, school children should be instructed on the fact that he was "an incompetent man, a good campaigner, but poor administrator, blind to the corruption of his administration, and unfaithful to his wife".
My bottom four presidents are Carter, Clinton, Buchanan, Harding. I think Clinton has much in common with both Buchanan and Harding.
For years, Warren Harding was the worst president in U.S. history. He has been surpassed. Today, there are two who were worse than Harding.
At least Tanya...almost went to prison.
The Rapist deserves it more....but he will always walk free.
Harding spoke poorly (Bush has been compared to him). Historians generally say that Harding was not terribly bright, and was in over his head. Was he personally corrupt? Most say no. Most say is was "blind to the corruption in his administration" which is just about as bad.
Clinton? He was brilliant!!! He had his finger on everything!! A Policy wonk! I'd say that it will be very hard to look at the corruption of the Clinton White House, Waco, Ruby Ridge, IRS, Rwanda, poor response to terrorism, and all the rest and say Clinton was "blind to it". Heck, that man is so gosh-darned brilliant, he MUST have known what was going on!
clinton on C-SPAN now re-writing history!!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.