In light of the recent primary season developments I can't help but notice the slow but steady decline of a former president and statesman. While not the greatest fan of Bill Clinton's policies during his presidency I have however always respected and admired his energy, charm, and ability to connect with people across the political and social spectrum.
As a native German (and American citizen as of 2005)) I'm also aware of Bill's high standing in Europe and the rest of the world. So while I myself have been drawn to Barack Obama's approach to politics and policy since I first heard him speak a few years ago, the idea of having the double Clinton whammo to restore U.S. relations around the world after 8 years of Alfred E. Bush actually seemed kind of heart warming.
The following are my thoughts on Bill Clinton and how a chance to make HRC's run for the presidency a groundbreaking and transformative chapter in American history has turned into a tragedy of mythic proportions.
The first damper on my image of Bill Clinton as the "first husband" who would bring this country and the rest of the world to their feet occurred in November 2007 when I saw him giving the keynote speech at the Greenbuild Expo in Chicago. Into a jam-packed auditorium, filled with several thousand shakers and makers of the green building industry eager to soak up every word of his Global Initiative stepped a man who looked pale and tired. Even as he announced that his just completed Presidential library had just been awarded Platinum LEED status, the most energy efficient and lowest carbon footprint a building can be, he seemed strangely disconnected from both his own words and the people he was talking to.
At first I thought that maybe he'd just had a full schedule and his tank was running on empty, or that maybe he was just a bit jetlagged. But the longer the speech went on, the more it felt like this was a man who just didn't have the fire in his heart anymore and who was just trying to coast by on the energy projected onto him by everyone else. Like the vintage fire truck at the museum, it felt like we all tried to feed off the lively memories of past heroism, but when you opened your eyes you realized that this one just wasn't going to put out any fires anymore.
Being President for 8 years is no day at the beach. Just look at Shrub. Despite plenty of vacation at Crawford Ranch, dude looks like a zombie. You just want him to retire and take a load off, preferably at a Federal penitentiary. I don't even dare to think what McCane would look like after a few years in the hot seat. That's why Barack and Michelle decided to do this now, not only because they're still relatively untainted by the Washington black hole, but because they know how much energy it takes to be at your very best and most alert in a fast changing world.
So here's Bill, in his golden years, still active and contributing in very positive ways, enjoying the limelight and inherent respect a former President begets. But behold, there's some unfinished business: His wife and political ally is making a run for the White House, a run with twofold historic implications in that not only would she be the first female president but he would be the first president returning to the White House as the first First Husband.
Phew! Just writing this makes my head spin! How on earth is anyone going to stay coherent in that kind of contorted role-playing game, not to mention a graying ex Commander-In-Chief who looks like all he really wants to do is sip a few margaritas at philanthropic event openings? Worse yet, he, who has been the top dog all his life, who thrives and is at his natural best when admired and listened to by big crowds (he's a leo after all), is now expected to be a campaign grunt and keep his ego in check, except of course when his wife needs him to act presidential to magically bequeath presidentialness unto her. It gets even knottier: How does your biggest asset of being a gracious party elder a la Jimmy Carter or Al Gore mesh with being the candidate's spouse, a position that's partisan to the bone? How can you be large and small at the same time, especially if you're Bill Clinton?
But this is not a pity diary. I am of course not the first person to write about this dilemma, and I'm sure the Clintons and their campaign must have thought about this at least a couple of times before they launched themselves into our collective memory as a blistering pants-on-fire identity inferno. However, the fact that they got caught in the web of finger-wagging misremembering adult moments shows that they just couldn't get themselves to think bigger and paint on a broader canvas.
What if they had decided to let themselves both be big? That one's grace wouldn't take away from the other, but contribute to a larger good? That there could be room for two gracious and uplifting Democratic candidates (Hillary and Barack, that is) and let the dice fall as they may? Since we all knew that the Clintons would come as a package, why not let both of them soar? Why couldn't Bill just stay the wise elder statesman while Hillary was the smart, independent history-making presidential candidate? Instead, they turned their greatest strengths into their weaknesses, letting Bill turn into a deranged attack dog and Hillary into a petty and small-minded "gotcha" politician.
You can blame Mark Penn and Hillary's campaign strategists all day long, but shouldn't it be the candidate her(him)self who sets the tone of the campaign? Yes, I know, they thought they would have this wrapped up by Super Tuesday and could just stay big and graceful on the grounds of being winners. But usually true character shows when you're struggling or behind (see Obama's speech after New Hampshire).
The high road was always available, but they've chosen to pass it by. Aside from being pretty lame on a human common sense level it was actually a major political blunder, and this from two of the most clever politicians this country has to offer. They just did not have their hands on the pulse of the country - after 8 years of Scary Nightmare we need someone who can heal the wounds and not someone who can destroy their opponent.
I, for one, hope to see Bill at this year's Greenbuild in Boston Nov 19-21, sitting in the audience with us listening to Archbishop Desmond Tutu give the keynote speech, calling out for collaborations with the incoming Obama Administration.