President Clinton left office in January 2001 but has maintained great influence over the Democratic Party since then. With another critical Presidential election imminent, let me correctly assess his 8-year Presidency, highlighted as follows:
- Overall, was he a good President? No! He was mediocre at best!
- Have both his immediate predecessor and successor made him look better? Yes!
Now, let me break it down into the good, the bad, and the ugly …
1. President Clinton: the good
The economy was pretty good throughout his 8-year Presidency, as he was one of the luckiest American Presidents in history, thanks to three big factors as follows:
- The Cold War ended in 1991 and BRICS had yet to show up – America enjoyed her last decade of the economic monopoly.
- The dot.com boom: President Clinton benefited hugely from a financial blockbuster – It was his presidency’s lottery winnings!
- The Republican Congress forced him to accept transformational acts that balanced the budget and reformed the welfare programs, which he claimed for his own after passage despite his resistance to it.
2. President Clinton: the bad
Read Wikipedia – Clinton & Lewinsky scandal.
3. President Clinton: the ugly
He failed to adjust U.S. foreign policy accordingly after the Cold War ended in 1991. As a result, America has become and continues to be a major source of instability around the world. Two prominent examples:
- Mideast
- NATO.
To briefly highlight each …
3.1 Mideast
The Mideast has been a mess for a long time. However, the seeds for the September 11 attacks were mainly sowed on President Clinton’s watch. For example, President Clinton might have refused Sudan’s offer to turn Osama Bin Laden over to America (Clinton Passed on Killing bin Laden?).
For more, read The Mideast without America?
3.2 NATO
NATO should have ceased to exist after the Cold War ended in 1991. Instead, it significantly expanded on President Clinton’s watch, becoming a new war machine (e.g., NATO bombing of Yugoslavia).
Finally, note that it was the NATO expansions that eventually led to the chaos in Ukraine, resulting in Russia’s invasion in 2022.
For more, read NATO is the new Nazi!
4. It is the political system, stupid!
Two serious problems with our system:
- Several American Presidents, such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, were too young and inexperienced to take the top job in the nation. They made serious mistakes while in office, mainly due to their lack of wisdom, on top of “getting re-elected ad nauseam.”
- They hugely enriched themselves after leaving office, to the detriment of the U.S., especially when foreign money is mixed with politics (e.g., Clinton Foundation).
Here is a 2014 news story: Bill Clinton raked in $100M in speeches over last decade.
Is there anything wrong with an American to make a lot of money by giving speeches?
No, of course not!
Is there anything wrong with a former President to make a lot of money by giving speeches?
No, of course not, unless it is just a “hide the money” cover for peddling political favors!
5. Closing
Time is the best judge for everything, including American Presidents. But the sooner we can do it for President Clinton, the better for America!
For more, read History 2.0 – China’s Comeback vs. America’s Decline.
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