President Clinton can be a lot of things to a lot of people, but he always was and will continue to be his own worst enemy.
After being impeached and besmirching a presidency that otherwise would have been recognized by history as one of great prosperity, Clinton will again harm his legacy by preventing Vice President Al Gore from being elected this November by continually injecting himself into the campaign.
Clinton’s most recent intrusion into the presidential campaign came through a mocking of Texas Gov. George W. Bush’s run for the presidency. Clinton mocked the affable nature of the governor and the younger Bush’s ties to his father, who incidentally has grown in stature in the minds of Americans since being voted out in 1992.
But Clinton’s efforts to help his colleague will only end up damaging the legacy the president has been said to hold so precious. It is clear that Americans don’t want to change direction, but they are tired of having a negative, attack-oriented leader who reminds them that we no longer have any integrity in the White House. And by attaching Bush to his father, a now-popular past president, Clinton is only drawing a clearer distinction between his administration and the governor.
So every time Clinton pops up with his antics, it seems Bush’s poll numbers rise. It makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is why Clinton keeps trying.
There is another reason for Clinton to keep quiet.
There is a long tradition of Americans thinking of their vice presidents as yes-men and men not suited toward leadership. This is obviously a direct result of the demands of the position — to be an attack dog, a party whip and a yes-man to the president. But when it is time for the veep to convince Americans he can be their leader, it takes time and an understanding boss who will get out of the way and let the vice president demonstrate his abilities and ideas.
But when Clinton keeps acting as the attack dog, as he is this week while Gore vacations in North Carolina, he reminds voters that he is still in charge and Gore is still number two.
None of this is new, however. Clinton always is a slash-and-burn politician and will always be his own worst enemy. This time he will hurt his legacy by ensuring Gore won’t be elected.