He needs a sitcom or something.
Yes, I'm talking about our immediate past President. The world is aflame with all of his blather from his interview with Chris Wallace. The thing that stood out most? Well, to me it was his incessant groping of Chris' knees. I mean, I realize Chris can be a girl's name and all, but still, all that fondling was a bit much.
As for my take on the political message, well, it took me back to the grand old days of the Republic when "parsing" was the big buzzword. As with the finger wag and various other things, it's important to ignore all the sleight of hand, and focus on what is being said in the tiny spaces between the lines of type.
From the latest AP article on the exchange, there is this one line:
[...] He [Clinton] told Wallace, "And you got that little smirk on your face and you think you're so clever, but I had responsibility for trying to protect this country. I tried and I failed to get bin Laden. I regret it, but I did try and I did everything I thought I responsibly could." [...]
Angry, angry, angry, tough, strong, smart, angry, active, feeling your pain RESPONSIBLY."I did everything I thought I responsibly could."
Nice performance, but once you know the trick, it's not magic anymore. "Responsibly" gives him a tremendous range of wiggle room. Who am I kidding--it's not wiggle room. It's run-around-swinging-your-arms-like-you're-in-the-middle-of-a-meadow room. And it's not even the "responsible" of things related to such usages as "responsible adult." It's the "responsible" of thought--I thought I could responsibly do. Oh, I might have been mistaken on my thoughts. Or my understanding of what "responsibly" means might differ from yours. It depends on what the definition of "responsibly" is, right? BUT I DID ALL I THOUGHT I COULD RESPONSIBLY DO! Sorta like my idea of how someone does not have sex with an intern might not agree with your definition.
Remember--keep your eyes on what he's not pointing to.
Here's the deal--once someone notices you bring out those equivocations, you leave yourself open to questions. Especially when you start acting like you're the victim of some sort of vast right-wing conspiracy. The Clinton Administration hasn't been treated gently, but it has largely escaped the heaviest responsibility for the attacks of 9/11, since it did happen after the Bush Administration had taken over. It didn't happen on their watch, although it is possible they could have done a better job. And people were pretty much willing to let it go at that--even let Sandy Burglar walk out with sensitive documents and destroy them to make the bad things go away--UNTIL this recent sudden spate of thin-skinned reactions. And reactions to what, exactly? Nothing new is really being said now that hasn't already been said--six years into this thing and suddenly you're starting to hear voices?
The timing seems questionable! Which obviously means that Clinton is toting Karl Rove's water, doing his best to make Democrats--even himself, the elder statesman and swinging party cat--look like unhinged losers who are tougher on Republicans than on terrorists.
It's magic!
Posted by Terry Oglesby at September 25, 2006 01:47 PM