More Bubba
From NRO's The Corner:
Was anyone else puzzled by President Clinton’s claim last night that one of his biggest disappointments was not reforming Social Security? I covered the Clinton years fairly closely and I couldn’t recall a single Clinton statement on the subject. So I Googled some of the media coverage from Clinton’s second term and figured out why.
For Clinton “Social Security Reform” was code for “Don’t let the GOP cut your taxes.” The President, losing ground fast to the newly-elected GOP Congress, used Social Security as a tool to beat back tax cuts, urging that any future budget surpluses should be poured into what would eventually be called a “lock box.” He also used the subject as a centerpiece in his post-impeachment State of the Union, hoping a bold initiative would push his impeachment trial out of the news lead.
It didn’t work
- Michael Graham
Matt's Chat
The Clinton "smoke and mirrors" tour is back on the road. I assume Michael is talking about the 60 Minutes interview (which I did not watch). Clinton was not interested in real Social Security reform. Like usual, he uses it now as a diversionary tactic from what everybody wants to talk about: MonicaGate.InstaUpdate
More from The Corner:Howard Kurtz's "Media Notes" recycle the same old shameless Clintonista war on the decency of conservatives. Says Joe Lockhart: "The respect and honor that Democrats have shown, in an appropriate way, for President Reagan will not be shown to President Clinton. They don't live by the same credo. They're mean and nasty people....They aren't self-aware enough to understand the image they'll create for themselves when they trash Clinton at every turn."Apparently Joe Lockhart didn't spend any time at the Democratic Underground during the Reagan funeral... And Carville isn't fooling anybody; he's the same old hack that he used to be...and making about as much sense too.
But James Carville is back in his regular role of truth-shredding: He "said what his former boss did is less important than the Bush administration understating the cost of the prescription drug law: 'Scandals? What scandal? He had sex with an intern, okay?'"
-Tim Graham
The Clinton "Scandal" was not about "just sex" as so many Democrats will try to frame it. The scandal was that he lied about it while under oath. That is the scandal. There is a difference between making a mistake and lying under oath. There really is...
Another NRO Corner (3:15PM) Update
This time from Jonah Goldberg:The talking point seems to be that Starr wasted $70 million on an investigation that didn't have worthwhile results. Would that liberals condemned every government enterprise based upon the right intentions (the Independent Counsel law was a liberal favorite for years after all) which didn't pan out.Actually, Jonah, that's an old talking point that the Clintonistas have rolled out again because, you know, it was so succuessful the first time...
Of course, if the money was the issue and Clinton did nothing wrong in Whitewater, the travel office etc, you'd think Clinton wouldn't have stonewalled the way he did. Reagan waived privileges during Iran-Contra while Clinton invoked every one he could, made up new ones and dragged his feet at every turn. That probably added a few mil to the IC's tab.
Mark's Remarks
Just more proof that Bill Clinton was a miserable failure as a President, especially in setting an example. The man was a huckster, a con man, and engaged in using strong arm tactics to delay investigations. He lied and lied again, and continues to lie about what his priorities were while in office. He never talked about reforming social security, he only talked about HillaryCare and the like. He never talked about reforming welfare until the Revolution of 1994 forced his hand and he had to triangulate. This guy is shameless, and it is a disgrace he was ever elected President, much less reelected.
