4.05.2002

Newsweek's cover story is an interesting profile on Bill Clinton that hits a bunch of different subjects, from reactions to the scandals of his final days as president to his home life (which I must say interests me. That marriage is an odd one) The story has a decidedly pro-Clinton stance, but as a staunch Clinton supporter, I find a lot of its points worth bringing up.

- According to recent U.S. Census stats, the much hearalded Reagan boom lifted 50,000 children out of poverty, the Clinton boom did the same for 4.1 million.

- Last month news broke that the eight-year, $73 million Whitewater investigation turned up no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by the Clintons. I had heard this but forgot about it.

- Clinton has not been heard criticizing Bush, but he does remind people how his team tried repeatedly to kill Osama bin Laden, foiled at least a half-dozen terrorist attacks in the United States and more than tripled the antiterrorism budget of the FBI and other agencies. In fact, it was the GOP that blocked his anti-money-laundering legislation (aimed at Al Qaeda), not to mention stopping his efforts to rein in the book-cooking accountants later responsible for Enron.

- Some members of Congress still echo Bush’s 2000 Campaign charge that Clinton “hollowed out” today’s military, the very same military (built and trained in the Clinton years) that has performed so well in the war against terrorism.

It was sort of breezy for a in-depth piece about such a newsworthy guy. We'll just have to wait for his book, for which he'll earn $12 million. It'll be out in fall of 2003.

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