Clinton's Presidential Lie-brary

President George W. Bush gave an impressive speech today at the Little Rock, AR opening of the Presidential library for former President William Jefferson Clinton. Bush's speech was reverential and respectful, as it should be. We have traditions in this country and civility in the highest political office in the land is one of them. We don't need presidents sniping at their predecessors.

However, the rest of us can - and should - be real about the situation.

A presidential library is the ultimate in spin. All of them, including presidents from both parties, are glass and marble monuments to spin. The president in question gets to set the agenda for the library. He selects the exhibits and the display and context of his presidential papers. He, in short, tells the story of his presidency his way and with the power and eloquence that millions of dollars can buy in marketing prowess. In this case, Bill Clinton personally directed and approved each detail present in the library.

We can debate how the library presents "the record" on important issues of the day like the budget, welfare reform, the Middle East peace process, NAFTA, etc. President Clinton will present them all as historic triumphs. Us partisans will quibble. Historians (mostly liberal) will judge. The end.

Clearly, however, the most interesting part of the library will get the most spin. That would be the "Lewinsky wing", or the part covering the first impeachement and trial of an elected president. Will Ms. Lewinsky's tapes be there? Or the blue stained dress that ultimately brought him to trial? I'm guessing not.

From the early indications, I'm correct in calling it the Lie-brary. Clinton has cast this section as his version of those historic events. You know the story: the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy set out on an unconstitutional coup by means of an illegitimate impeachment. Please - I may gag.

An honest portrayal of the impeachment would address the fact that Bill Clinton lied to the American public when he wagged his finger in our face and said "I did not have sex with that woman...", and it got worse from there. He lied to a federal judge and to a grand jury. He tampered with witnesses and obstructed justice. And he threw all of his trusted aides under the bus to go out an perpetuate his lies. But those lies are probably not represented in the lie-brary. Only the lie that he wasn't guilty and that it was a illegitimate partisan witchhunt.

And for that I blame not only President Clinton, but the U.S. Senate for failing to do their duty after listening to the evidence and for acquitting him. They left him standing. And now he gets to gloat and tell it his way in his lie-brary.