Bill the Sheriff
The mainstream media is starting to make some noise about Time magazine’s October 5th issue with an essay titled “Family Ties: The Other Bill Clinton”. Like most Clinton stories since the end of his presidency in 2000, this one too appears to be an effort at character rehab.

Governor Clinton first appeared on the national scene in the late eighties. And unlike Democrats of the past he ran a centrist campaign, promoting economic recovery and advancing a new brand of populism. His charm and charisma along with a healthy dose of intellect radiated at every rally and every interview. His election was swift and certain; George H. W. Bush’s presidency was reduced to a rare single term. Mistakes and errors almost doomed the new administration that inaugural year but by the end of his first term he had, along with Republican support, championed two legislative accomplishments still considered milestones today, The North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and for the first time since it’s recent design in the late sixties, major welfare reform. He was on a roll and public affection seemed endless.

But that was soon to change. From the beginning there were rumors involving women and extramarital affairs. The adoring media fought them back many times, until the numbers became too great to be ignored. As he struggled with his obsessions and admissions, often on network television, the public watched as he slowly but most assuredly added an undeniable new entry to his resume. Philanderer. The media frequently labels people in power as eccentric and complex when they drift off course. Eccentric, with his past, I doubt it. Complex, he certainly had the education and background to qualify, but I don’t buy that line either. There is a simpler description that applies when discussing Bill Clinton and it comes from Hollywood.

There was this movie once, when I was a kid, black and white if I remember correctly, and in one scene there was a businessman from up north traveling through a small southern town late at night. After stopping for gas at a two-pump station he was pulled over by a deputy sheriff for speeding. The officer told the Yankee that the Sheriff held court regardless of the day or hour and that’s where they were headed, to pay the fine. The next scene showed the Sheriff sitting on the porch of an old rundown wood frame house in bad need of some paint. He was dressed in a stained and wrinkled white suit, a loose tie and open collar, an oversize cigar stuck in his mouth and a small glass in his right hand, half full with clear liquid and a couple of ice cubes. And to his right, spread out on a wide porch swing hanging from a low ceiling by two uneven chains, a young woman, blond, voluptuous and scantly dressed, sucking on what looked like a Popsicle. After a short exchange of words the traveler dutifully paid his fine and was on his way.

Whenever Bill Clinton pops up in the news I think of the Sheriff in his white soiled uniform with his customary glass of hard liquor for courage and a camp follower nearby. The northeastern media frequently makes a run at scrubbing Mr. Clinton's character. As noble as the effort is, it's likely to never work; he is what he is, nothing more, nothing less. It may be a cliché and a bit charitable but I suggest we at least look for the good intentions.
 
There are no Pictures available
Posted by Riley @ 12:48:45 PM - 10/7/2009


Bill the Sheriff
The mainstream media is starting to make some noise about Time magazine’s October 5th issue with an essay titled “Family Ties: The Other Bill Clinton”. Like most Clinton stories since the end of his presidency in 2000, this one too appears to be an effort at character rehab.

Governor Clinton first appeared on the national scene in the late eighties. And unlike Democrats of the past he ran a centrist campaign, promoting economic recovery and advancing a new brand of populism. His charm and charisma along with a healthy dose of intellect radiated at every rally and every interview. His election was swift and certain; George H. W. Bush’s presidency was reduced to a rare single term. Mistakes and errors almost doomed the new administration that inaugural year but by the end of his first term he had, along with Republican support, championed two legislative accomplishments still considered milestones today, The North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and for the first time since it’s recent design in the late sixties, major welfare reform. He was on a roll and public affection seemed endless.

But that was soon to change. From the beginning there were rumors involving women and extramarital affairs. The adoring media fought them back many times, until the numbers became too great to be ignored. As he struggled with his obsessions and admissions, often on network television, the public watched as he slowly but most assuredly added an undeniable new entry to his resume. Philanderer. The media frequently labels people in power as eccentric and complex when they drift off course. Eccentric, with his past, I doubt it. Complex, he certainly had the education and background to qualify, but I don’t buy that line either. There is a simpler description that applies when discussing Bill Clinton and it comes from Hollywood.

There was this movie once, when I was a kid, black and white if I remember correctly, and in one scene there was a businessman from up north traveling through a small southern town late at night. After stopping for gas at a two-pump station he was pulled over by a deputy sheriff for speeding. The officer told the Yankee that the Sheriff held court regardless of the day or hour and that’s where they were headed, to pay the fine. The next scene showed the Sheriff sitting on the porch of an old rundown wood frame house in bad need of some paint. He was dressed in a stained and wrinkled white suit, a loose tie and open collar, an oversize cigar stuck in his mouth and a small glass in his right hand, half full with clear liquid and a couple of ice cubes. And to his right, spread out on a wide porch swing hanging from a low ceiling by two uneven chains, a young woman, blond, voluptuous and scantly dressed, sucking on what looked like a Popsicle. After a short exchange of words the traveler dutifully paid his fine and was on his way.

Whenever Bill Clinton pops up in the news I think of the Sheriff in his white soiled uniform with his customary glass of hard liquor for courage and a camp follower nearby. The northeastern media frequently makes a run at scrubbing Mr. Clinton's character. As noble as the effort is, it's likely to never work; he is what he is, nothing more, nothing less. It may be a cliché and a bit charitable but I suggest we at least look for the good intentions.
 
There are no Pictures available
Posted by Riley @ 12:48:45 PM - 10/7/2009


Today's rescue from pirates
It’s always a little surprising when a Democrat administration benefits from a successful military operation. The rescue of Richard Phillips, Captain of the merchant ship Maersk Alabama, from Somalia pirates is a great day for this country and in particular, the US Navy. This MILITARY operation is an indication that the vast distance a majority of Democrats aggressively keep between themselves and the US military can be overcome when the right circumstances is presented. It’s reassuring that there is three dead pirates, we need more 
There are no Pictures available
Posted by Riley @ 10:08:55 PM - 4/12/2009



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