ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 1996 TAG: 9601170011
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Cal Thomas
SOURCE: CAL THOMAS
CRITICS OF Ronald Reagan called him the ``Teflon president'' because no allegations or charges made against him seemed to stick. President Clinton has become the ``Velcro president'' because every charge clings to him.
In responding to the latest round of allegations on Whitewater, Paula Jones and Travelgate, Clinton said, ``We've been through this for four years.'' The implication is that there is nothing new about these charges and so the power to damage the Clintons should be diminished.
The president defends his and Mrs. Clinton's character, but good character never has to be defended. It is on display for all to see. That's why when a Clinton campaign operative in 1992 tried to smear President Bush with a charge of extramarital affairs in order to deflate a similar charge made against Clinton, it didn't stick because it didn't fit. George Bush's personal character as a one-woman man was so strong that the charge was unbelievable. Jimmy Carter's character is also above reproach.
Not so with Bill and Hillary Clinton. From the death of Vince Foster, to Whitewater, to Travelgate, to Paula Jones, every charge made against the Clintons, no matter how outlandish it may initially appear, seems to ring true.
Attorneys defend the first couple, saying they have done nothing ``illegal.'' That remains to be seen. But the public wants more from its leaders than the ``I'm not a crook'' defense of Richard Nixon. Rep. William Clinger, R-Pa., chairman of the House committee investigating Travelgate, noted on ABC's ``This Week'' program recently: ``There may not have been a `crime' in the sense of something on the statute books, but there clearly was an abuse, I think, of power, an abuse of the rights, certainly, of that gentleman, if nothing else.''
That gentleman was Billy Dale, who managed the travel office and spent $500,000 defending himself from embezzlement charges. There are allegations the White House improperly used the FBI to investigate Dale, who was acquitted on all charges and received an apology (but no help paying his legal bills) from President Clinton.
It is possible, though increasingly unlikely, that the Clintons will emerge from the ethical morass legally unscathed. High-priced lawyers can arrange this sort of thing, as witnesses to the O.J. Simpson fiasco can testify. But a president can also be indicted and convicted in the court of public opinion, and the latest USA Today-CNN-Gallup Poll shows a steep decline in support of Clinton. An ABC News poll shows a similar drop in support for Hillary Clinton.
A person's character is produced by his level of virtue and these are reflected in the ethics by which he lives. Plato partly understood this, though he believed wickedness to be rooted in ignorance, not an internal flaw unique to humans. In Plato's ``Protagoras,'' a young man asks Socrates, ``Is virtue a single whole, and are justice and self-control and holiness parts of it, or are these latter all names for one and the same thing?''
``Well, that is easy to answer,'' responds Socrates. ``Virtue is one, and the qualities you ask about are parts of it.''
Some defenders of the first couple say conservatives have not gotten over the defeat of George Bush and believe that Bill Clinton holds office illegitimately. They are right about the second part. Having used deception and cover-up to win office, he (and Hillary Clinton) now use deception and cover-up to hold on to it. Whether they and their lawyers can keep the lid on through November may be the central issue in the coming campaign.
It will also tell us something about ourselves and whether we expect our leaders to have good character or we just want the government checks to arrive on time.
- Los Angeles Times Syndicate
LENGTH: Medium: 71 linesby CNB