There are only three basic reasons for a pardon: out of benevolence to rectify an injustice, out of loyalty for services rendered by a devoted political protege or out of self-interest to gain a personal or political advantage. If the Clinton pardons are any indication, they are heavily weighted in favor of self-interest.
It is obvious that Bill Clinton is no humanitarian; for granting a pardon, he usually wanted something in return. Whether it was money for the Presidential Library (given by Marc Rich’s ex-wife) or political support for his wife in her New York senatorial campaign (given by Hasidic Jews in exchange for a commutation in the sentences of four of their leaders convicted of swindling), Bill Clinton always got his money’s worth.
Bill Clinton has been called corrupt, immoral and seedy, but no one can call him dumb. He is a shrewd, calculating politician who always got the maximum mileage out of everything he did.
Even though he has been dubbed our first “rock ‘n’ roll president,” in a very real sense, Mr. Clinton is actually an old-school politician of the type that was heavily involved in deal-making–you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.
