Bill Clinton has decided to be the Un-Carter.
I never had much use for Bill Clinton. I never believed anything evil of him, but I don’t think he ever really had any plan in his life except to become President. As he did as Governor of Arkansas, he saw the job of President as simply a way to meet girls. He floated along merrily enjoying the perks of office. His wife, on the other hand, had an agenda. And still does.
After leaving office Clinton received a lot of flack for voicing criticism of the new President. I can’t blame him completely, because there are many reporters who hang on his every word, and he’s always liked the limelight. Anything he said against Bush was reported ad nauseum.
With all of the Democratic candidates spewing critiques of Bush, however, there was a niche opening for him. Everyone else in the party was moving left, so Bill went back to what he does best: going centrist. And it has been a quiet move.
At first it received notice. He made comments about having believed the same about Saddam as did Bush. This was pretty widely reported. His later comments in support of Bush in this area get less and less coverage as the primary campaign heats up.
Marc Ginsberg takes the Bush Administration to task for not attending the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Qatar last month. Clinton spoke there:
Clinton pointedly called on the Muslim world to accept its share of the blame for the outbreak of extremism, and scolded Arab leaders for their own abuse of the Palestinians. He chastised Muslims for being too quick to judge America through the pinhole of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He pointed to our own shortcomings as a nation, still striving to build “a more perfect union.” He resolutely defended America’s friendship with Israel. “America’s support for Israel is not rooted in hostility to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians,” he said, and he condemned Yasser Arafat for squandering the deal he was offered at Camp David. Moreover, Clinton reminded his audience that President Bush supports the creation of a Palestinian state.
He told his audience that had he been president when the September 11 attacks occurred, he would have followed a course identical to that of his successor. He praised President Bush for trying to convince Muslims that America’s war on terror is not a war against Islam. And despite all of the baiting during a question and answer session, Clinton never blamed the Bush administration for its many policy missteps. Instead, he called on his audience to join the United States in helping to bring about a “free, independent, stable, and representative government in Iraq.”
I’ve not seen any coverage of the event. The media missed it because they were wrapped up in following candidates around Iowa.
I don’t believe Clinton would have “followed a course identical to that of his successor” as he said, but it was a powerful message to those assembled. And it is the kind of thing we should hope past Presidents say in that environment. It is completely out of character for him because he, like the current candidates and the UN, believes the war on terror is a law enforcement issue. Or maybe he’s changed his mind.
Carter was a terrible President. He has done nothing since to change that. His greatest contribution to this country has been his work with Habitat for Humanity. Clinton doesn’t want to be the next Jimmy Carter. With his harping about Bush, he was on that road. Hillary wants to be the next Clinton in the White House. And they both want Chelsea to eventually be there in her own right. So his tone needed to change.
It is a change for the better, regardless of the reason. When we fight this war we need to be emphatic. It is the only countermeasure we have for the type of battle we confront. Having debate “within the family” is important to our political process, but it needs to remain within. The enemy we face depends on division here for strength in his battle. The task is to have our differences without them providing support for the enemy.
I think Bill Clinton finally gets it. Carter never will.