Frank
Chairman of the Board
My opinion on BC is that he was massively guilty of all of the scandals brought up during his tenure, but being a very skilled politician who surrounded himself with intensely loyal people - he got away with almost all of it. He succeeded in burying, denying, dodging, dismissing and especially *delaying* information, coaxing and coaching people to lie on his behalf. People who dared confront him on it were pilloried or humiliated in public, and he denied everything in every scandal right up until "the dress" was tested in the Monica case, KNOWING what the truth was. He showed a massive pattern of lying even in the face of palpable evidence even before he was elected (such as his recorded advice to Gennifer Flowers to deny their affair during his campaign) and he simply got away with it - even after denying the whole thing on prime time TV.
My opinion on most of the Republican opponents of his was that they were rabidly after him, because they had learned early on that nothing less would break through the wall BC could build. If he could get away with lying in broad daylight, they'd have to fight hard to prove any scandal that hit the light of day.
What continued to bother me about the man was how he continued to do what he did, even KNOWING there was a special counsel out there checking under every rock. It tells me he was utterly unconcerned about "being caught", because he knew he could get away with anything.
Before BC, I never knew Washington could be so partisan - I never saw it so very antagonistic. BC set the stage for it - he came into office, and for three years blamed every failing of his administration on twelve years of Republican administrations. He and VP Gore went through years of blaming and antagonizing Republicans - calling them "extra chromosome right wingnuts" and other such intellectual barbs - he delighted in the sparring and antagonism, the likes of which I don't ever recall seeing before in my life. I'm glad it's over.
