Bill Clinton proved that you don’t have to be liked as a person to be admired and appreciated for your skills as a politician. Bill Clinton became involved in one scandal after another, ranging from those of Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Whitewater, the impeachment trial, various Cabinet members and illicit campaign fundraising, during which he often lied or deceived.
Nonetheless, he had a job-approval rating of 65 percent upon leaving office, which is the highest rating of any president in modern history, surpassing those even of highly popular Presidents Ronald Reagan and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
So apparently a strong economy for the eight years of his presidency, peace in foreign affairs and a balanced federal budget were enough to placate the American public, causing it to overlook his glaring personal deficiencies.
So it looks like it is not a president’s character that ultimately matters but his ability to get the job done. Character only seems to matter when things aren’t going well, where it is used as an instrument of blame.
