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No principles. No moral
commitment. No loyalty to an ideal. Nothing.
He came from
nowhere and he is returning to nowhere. And during eight long years in
the most important position in the world, not a single memorable line in
the history books will be written about him. William Jefferson Clinton
will be remembered – if at all – only because of Monica.
Actually, this is
no surprise. When he was sworn in as President of the United States,
arousing so much hope, people forgot how he came to be elected in the
first place. There was a simple reason: when the serious leaders of the
Democratic party had to decide whether to apply for the nomination,
nobody volunteered. At that point in time, it seemed there was no chance
at all to defeat the incumbent, George Bush Snr., who had just won a
resounding victory in the Gulf war. No statesman who had anything to
lose was ready to take him on.
The field remained
wide open to political nobodies, those for whom even the title "former
candidate for the presidency" was an advancement.
One of those was
the young governor of Arkansas, a relatively unimportant state. He was a
young, personable man, undoubtedly intelligent, with an ambitious wife.
What happened
afterwards highlights one of the major facts in Bill Clinton’s career:
he was lucky. Suddenly, the fortunes of President Bush declibed. The
victory in Iraq proved to be hollow. The economy deteriorated. That
smiling man from Arkansas – what was his name? – seemed OK. He was
elected almost by accident.
(Apropos of which a
question arises: Why, in the television age, does a giant country like
the USA - as well as small country like Israel – seem unable to bring to
power anyone who is not mediocre or less, a hollow star and even a
downright impostor? But that’s a theme for another discussion.)
In his eight,
scandal-ridden years, Clinton has done nothing to be remembered by. But
in the most important sphere, the economy, he was lucky. The American
economy is flourishing. Of course, in the capitalist US the impact of
the government on the economy is marginal, but the impact of the economy
on elections is important.
What else happened
under Clinton? The wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, in which the irresolute
cowardice of Clinton and his advisors has caused untold suffering to
millions. Inside the US, none of his promises has been fulfilled: the
gap between rich and poor has not been reduced, health insurance for
everybody remained a dream, lethal weapons remain in the hands of the
citizens, gay rights have not been advanced. The corrupt influence of
the rich pressure groups – including the Jewish lobby – on elections
became even more pronounced. Senators, representatives and the President
himself can be bought, sold and rented in the free market like any other
goods.
Of all the failures
of the Clinton era, the most grievous is the one in our region. It is
being said the Clinton devoted to us greater efforts than any one of his
predecessors. True, but the results are nil. He was not guided by any
moral principle, or even American interest, but by a cynical lust for
Jewish votes and campaign money.
It started when he
stole the Oslo agreement. He played no part at all in the effort to
achieve it, but he acquired the rights to stage the performance on the
White House lawn. And that’s how it went on: exhibition after
exhibition, produced by an ensemble that was composed exclusively – and
strangely – of officials of Jewish origin, from the secretaries of State
and Defense and the national security advisor to the pathetic Dennis
Ross and the American ambassador in Israel. All of them Jews, and some
of them former employees of Zionist organizations. Clinton was the only
Goy among them. (As if all the American officials dealing with Bosnia
were of Serb origin.)
Performance after
performance, from Oslo to Camp David, including the tears over the grave
of Yitzhaq Rabin ("Shalom, Haver!"). And hovering over the whole show
the lack of seriousness and of principles, which led inevitably to the
present disaster - a disaster both for the Palestinians and for Israel.
Israelis and Palestinians needed a highly competent mediator, and had to
make do with the charming smile of the man from Arkansas.
His end will be
like the end of the Cheshire cat in Alice’s wonderland: he will fade
away without leaving a trace – and only the smile will remain.
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ua / hagalil.com /
05-11-2000 |
