The View From The Ground

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The View From The Ground

10/12/98

Apologies Overdue

Remember the scalding that was applied to Congressman Dan Burton last winter for referring to the saint in the White House as a "scumbag" ? Democrats were outraged. Of course they were. It's okay to say nasty things about people as long as the people are Republicans and the things are not true, but Burton crossed the line! This is the President of the United States! Where was his respect for the office?

After the events of the last two months, it appears that we are in a better position to re-examine this question. Is President William Jefferson Clinton in fact a scumbag?

We will need to forego an exploration of the etymology of "scumbag" . Suffice it to say that, as applied to people, it denotes a lowlife, a dirty rotten scoundrel, a person with no moral sense or obligation. Is this a fair take on the President? Let us consider the "best case" : even if every possible charge against Bill Clinton is determined to be unimpeachable, even if Starr adds no new charges to the mix, what are we left with?

We are left with:

A husband and father who showed his respect for his family by having had a series of extramarital affairs of the most sordid and cheap variety.
A middle-aged man in a position of vast power who preyed on the hero-worship of a starry-eyed and confused 21 year old intern in order to satisfy his own lust.
A distinguished resident of the White House who has treated its most hallowed public spaces as if they were the "Hush-Hush Motel" .
A public official of the highest standing who, very deliberately, lied under oath in a court of law.
A leader of the people who looked the people in the eye, clenched his jaw, waved his finger and, very deliberately, lied through his teeth.
A "friend" who routinely lets his associates (Hubbell, McDougal, Tucker, etc.) take the fall and either pays them off or ruins their reputations.
A Boss who lies to his subordinates knowing full well that they will unknowing lend credence to the lie.
A representative of justice who has stonewalled, obfuscated and done everything in his (considerable) power to prevent the discovery of the truth.
A chief law enforcement official who associates with an unusually high number of convicted and confessed criminals (Hubbell, McDougal, Tucker, etc.).
A symbol of American power and honor whose actions have brought shame and embarrassment to his family, his loved ones and his country.

What do we call such a man? A Liar? A Cheater? A ne'er-do-well? A cad? No, those just don't get at the totality of the shamelessness. Where I come from we would call such a guy a scumbag.

It is entirely possible that President Clinton will wiggle out of this mess by virtue of his considerable political and PR skills. It is quite likely that a perjury charge won't stick (the Paula Jones suit's definition of "sex" , after all, did not include the words "mouth" or "blue cocktail dress" ). It is conceivable that he can leverage his gravity-defying popularity polls with legalistic maneuvering and what George Will has called "the cleverness of fundamentally dishonest people" (i.e. his lawyers and spinmeisters) to fend off Congress.

Even if "Slick Willy" finds it congenitally difficult to be honest with us, let us at least be honest with ourselves. Our President may or may not be criminally liable or politically impeachable. But our President is without doubt a scumbag.

I doubt that Dan Burton expects the apologies to begin pouring in. But they should. In fact they are way overdue. He was right. And those who excoriated him should have the guts to say: "We're sorry. You were right. We were wrong."