John McCarron’s March 1 column on the hypocrisy of the Clinton investigations makes a good point. It seems that Rep. Henry Hyde has had a few ethical lapses himself, most notably his role in a savings-and-loan scandal in the early ’80s. It is often problematic to have politicians investigate other politicians. Widespread corruption forces the public to endure a process where one dirty public official condemns another. Americans recognize hypocrisy when the investigators are often no better than the investigated.
But I do strongly disagree with Mr. McCarron and other Clinton defenders on one crucial point. This president is not a victim of a right-wing conspiracy. He is not a casualty of a poisonous political atmosphere or “sexual McCarthyism.” Bill Clinton is simply a dishonest, boorish and thoroughly corrupt politician. That is the real reason why the events of the last year, the endless investigations and the accusations will not cease.
Mr. McCarron has made a strong argument that Henry Hyde is not the champion of virtue and the rule of law he has claimed to be. None of that, however, can change the reality of what kind of person this president really is. It is time, not the angry right-wingers, that will continue to show us the real Bill Clinton.
