|
Already
pre-Clinton America grows ever dimmer in memory. There are
many alive today who will probably never again live in a
Clinton-free America. With Hillary’s elevation to the
Senate now assured, this summer will be a time to get used
to the idea that the Clintons will always be with us. The
lies, the arrogant sense of entitlement, the self-indulgent
drivel, the ruthless quest for power. And – worst of
all – they will be with us here in New York. Hillary
will be Senator; while Bill will be…well, wherever
his spiritual journey takes him. Unlike the Giulianis, who
seem genuinely uncomfortable about revealing the dismal
details of their unhappy lives, the Clintons relish their
little soap opera and demand that we all join them on their
strange odyssey.
Last
summer it was Bill Clinton, victim of child abuse. In the
middle of the August doldrums – as if we had not already
had our fill of their sordid little marital doings – Hillary
revealed that her husband had been "scarred by abuse"
as a small boy. "There was terrible conflict between
his mother and grandmother," she explained in Talk.
"A psychologist once told me that for a boy being in
the middle of a conflict between two women is the worst
possible situation. There is always the desire to please
each one." Hence little Billy grew up to become a skirt
chaser. Hillary’s logic was a little baffling. Since
the two women were vying for the boy’s affection, why
would he be the one so eager to please?
Hillary’s
psychobabble was met with widespread derision, and she had
to beat a hasty retreat. "Everyone is responsible for
his or her behavior – including the President and all
the rest of us," she announced sniffily. She would
never discuss the matter again, she declared.
But
reticence is as difficult for the Clintons as charm is for
the Giulianis. Summer is here and this year it’s time
for Bill Clinton’s midlife crisis. The most important
man on Earth suddenly feels emasculated. In a few months
he won’t be able to lob bombs at anyone. Limousines,
motorcades, Air Force One, the football that launches the
nuclear missiles, Secret Service flunkies – all that
will just be a distant memory. His wife will be more important
than he is. He is depressed. He makes a video in which he
vainly chases a limousine to deliver his wife’s lunch.
He calls friends in the middle of the night and keeps them
on the phone for hours. One of these "friends"
says: "When you hear that lonely voice you know it’s
time to sit up and turn on the light because you know this
is going to take a while." No wonder Clinton’s
vaunted sexual allure is on the wane. His dog Buddy is the
only one prepared to go to bed with him.
"I’ll
miss a lot of things," he reflected sadly the other
day. Wistfully he looks back on his days in the White House.
They were good for his marriage. "I got to live above
the store," he explains. So "we’ve probably
had more time together in our time here than at any point
in our marriage. And I’ve enjoyed that immensely. It’s
been wonderful for us." Monica Lewinsky? Who she? Perhaps
Bill and Hillary might have a second child. "I envy
him very much," Clinton said of British Prime Minister
Tony Blair, whose wife, Cherie, is expecting their fourth
child. "I think it’s a great thing for them. It’ll
keep them young." So why not the Clintons? He does
not have much to do all day, so he could spend "a lot
of time with the baby."
Hillary
informs us that she intends to spend "the rest of [her]
life" with Bill. Remember, nothing the Clintons say
is to be believed. Hillary is as big a liar as her husband.
The Clintons intend to return to the White House. Hillary
could not care less about the Senate. She just needs something
to do for the next four years before she can make a run
for the presidency.
Interestingly,
that is also how Rudy Giuliani saw this race. Hillary and
Rudy were always almost indistinguishable. By revealing
himself now to be a touchy-feely sort of person, it will
be truly difficult to tell whether Rudy is Hillary in drag,
or Hillary is Rudy in drag. On the issues, the two agree
on everything. Abortion, gay rights, gun control, immigration,
welfare. They are both death penalty enthusiasts. They both
want to lock people up and throw away the key. They both
want to treat juveniles as adult criminals. They both supported
the Juvenile Justice Bill. They both want more federal intrusions
in policing. And of course they both hate free speech. Giuliani
wants to cut off funding to BMA. Hillary champions the Communications
Decency Act and the Child Online Protection Act. Hillary
is also an enthusiast of Internet filtering in libraries.
"Personally, if I were in a library I would employ
filters because I think that there is a lot of stuff on
the Web that is just not appropriate for children, or for
adults for that matter," she explained with her usual
elitist arrogance.
So
what should we do this summer? Go live out of state.
|
