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By Rich Lowry
Regnery, 470 pp, 2003
Granted, there have been many books
written about Bill Clinton, or at least his administration. I've read a
few (see here and here
and here for examples) and figured that
would about do me. I had already formed my opinion of his presidency
(I'll end the suspense: it's not favorable) so why read about what I
thought I already knew?
Well, a few reasons. First, I felt a
sense of obligation. Rich Lowry is the editor of my favorite magazine, National
Review. I first started reading the magazine in 1991, when I
worked at the Glendale Public Library. I'd take the current issue off
the shelf and read it during my breaks. I was just dabbling into
conservatism at the time, and had started out reading Conservative
Review and The American
Spectator.
Reading NR saved me from becoming
a thoughtless, doctrinaire leftist, swallowing without question the
garbage spewing from the sewer-like spouts at NBC,
CBS, ABC,
and CNN, not to mention my local
newspaper and Time
magazine, which at the time I read every week. I'll always be grateful
to the magazine for that.
I also enjoy Lowry's twice-weekly column
in Conservative
Chronicle. He's a fine writer, insightful, shrewd, and very
original - he often tackles topics other columnists do not.
He's also a cat lover and Yankees fan,
but I've long since forgiven him all that.
So that's why I read the book. Happily, I
didn't know quite as much as I thought I did. Lowry has obviously read
many more Clinton books than I have - he knows the inside story on
pretty much any Clinton issue or scandal.
Think Clinton was responsible for the
booming economy of the 1990s? Nope - the recover was underway before he
even was elected. Think he erased the deficit? Wrong - gushing tax
revenues did that, and a Republican Congress that imposed a slim veneer
of fiscal discipline. Think he was serious about "reforming welfare
as we know it?" Think again - he signed that bill only because he
thought it was necessary for his reelection, and then he vowed to
supporters that he'd fix it, though he never did. Think he was an
innocent victim of a vast right-wing conspiracy? Hah - he brought all
his troubles on himself and has no one else to blame. Think he was tough
on crime? Hardly - he nominated a clueless Janet Reno attorney general,
the Queen of the Bunny Planet. Think he helped bring peace to the Middle
East? Not even close - he strengthened Arafat, whose refusal to accept
generous concessions from Israel led to the current bloodshed. Think he
cared about the people of Africa? Not so fast - he not only did nothing
to stop the genocide in Rwanda, his administration actively opposed any
UN effort to send more troops there.
What's most effective about Lowry's
indictments are his temperament and sources. No rabid Clinton-hater
(not, of course, that there's anything wrong with that), his tone is
more of a sober, serious, and grown-up accounting of all that was wrong
with Clinton and his presidency. It's not an hysterical, rabid,
slobbering at the mouth rant. And his best digs come from Clinton
sympathizers and former employees, which lends even more legitimacy to
the book.
After reading this, it's fairly obvious
that for a man who worked long hours into the night, Clinton was a lazy
president - he preferred talking about tough issues to actually doing
something about them. He avoided any action, no matter how justified,
necessary, or right, that he thought might cost him a dip in the polls,
while taking action only on issues that he thought would help him
politically, or were just easier, like school uniforms and the
V-chip.
Because of that, one could almost
conclude Clinton was an inconsequential president, except for one major
issue: terrorism. By treating it as a law enforcement issue, he
essentially washed his hands of it and left it to the Justice Department
to track down terrorists, a task for which the department was not
prepared. As a result, Osama and his cohorts had free rein to kill
Americans all over the world, until finally the country woke up to the
war we were in on September 11, 2001. Clinton knew Osama was a threat,
yet other than bombing empty buildings and deserted training camps, he
did nothing. That would be difficult, you see, a distraction from his
important work of pardoning rich fugitives and getting Hillary elected
to the Senate.
It was often said that Clinton lacked
core convictions, but Lowry shows he did indeed have those. What he
lacked was the courage to act on them unless they were politically
expedient.
As for the writing, it's excellent.
Fluid, interesting, easy to understand, and leavened with light touches
of humor. For a political book, it's enjoyable reading.
Lowry understands Clinton. If you are
willing and able to do the same, then read this book. You'll be the
better for it.
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