-Caveat Lector-
<http://orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-oped-griffin04030401.column?col
l=orl%2Dopinion%2Dheadlin>
Democrats' silence is the true shock about pardon scandal
Published March 4, 2001
Mike Griffin
I've never understood the Republican obsession with Bill Clinton.
>From the minute Clinton was elected president in 1992 until this
very day, the Grand Old Party remains fixated on ruining a man
who, if left to his own devices, shows an uncanny ability to ruin
himself. Like Captain Ahab relentlessly pursuing the great white
whale, the Republicans' desire to destroy Clinton became a blind
obsession that led to the destruction of several of the party's
own leaders.
So the Republican outcry over Clinton's final days and a list of
dubious pardons issued from the Oval Office were predictable. The
shocking thing about the latest Clinton scandal isn't the
screaming of Republicans but the total silence of Democrats.
Leading Democrats -- particularly in Florida -- haven't had much
to say about Clinton's disgraceful exit from public life. The
silence is surprising, given that Democrats have far more reason
to be furious at Clinton than Republicans do.
Republicans expected Clinton to be an immoral scoundrel and were
not disappointed.
Democrats, on the other hand, had higher expectations of the Man
from Hope. They expected Camelot. They got Bithlo on a bad day.
Democrats hungered for Jack and Bobby Kennedy. They got Bill and
Roger Clinton.
And Hugh Rodham.
Rodham, Hillary Rodham Clinton's brother, collected a nifty
$400,000 from dubious pals hoping to win a presidential pardon.
Rodham, you may remember, ran the worst statewide political
campaign in Florida history in 1994 when he challenged incumbent
U.S. Sen. Connie Mack.
Obviously, Rodham's political skills haven't improved. Not only
did none of his clients get pardons -- how much pull does this
guy have? -- but he also was too dimwitted to see long in advance
the damage that the scandal would do to his sister's political
ambitions.
Rodham returned the money, and both Clintons apologized. Bill
denied wrongdoing, and Hillary expressed outrage. It is the
time-honored Clinton formula: stonewall, deny, apologize, express
outrage. If they could bottle the recipe, Hillary wouldn't need
the $8 million book deal.
But apparently, the presidential-pardon business can be pretty
lucrative as well. Songwriter Denise Rich has donated millions of
dollars to the Democratic Party and to Clinton's presidential
library, and lavished gifts on the former first family. Her
ex-husband, fugitive commodities dealer Marc Rich, got his
pardon. Marc Rich fled the country rather than face racketeering,
wire-fraud and tax-evasion charges.
Although the Rich pardon raises serious questions of propriety,
it also calls into question Clinton's commitment to Democratic
Party philosophy.
Rich, who is accused of stealing millions of dollars, gets a
pardon. But Roger Clinton, the president's half-brother, couldn't
deliver pardons for a half-dozen of his friends. These guys were
small-time hoods, some of them drug dealers who did time with the
younger Clinton.
A bailout for a millionaire but squat for the first brother's
cellblock buddies. What happened to the Democratic Party's
long-held commitment to help the little guy?
Republicans will insist on digging into this sordid mess because
Bill Clinton remains their passion. The unintended consequence
also happens to be that the focus on the Clintons seems to be
helping President George W. Bush. The new administration has been
spared the barbs that often fly in a president's first few
months.
Second, although any president would seem a moral giant standing
next to Clinton, Bush particularly flourishes in the comparison.
The new president is a humble straight-talker, and the longer the
Clinton mess continues, the better and better Bush looks.
Michael Griffin can be reach at 407-420-6229 or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
=================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
=================================================================
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
