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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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Hebrew
ua / hagalil.com /
05-11-2000 |
