Never mind the shamelessness of the man. It was his vexing compulsion to compromise away all those things his supporters thought he stood for. Disillusionment is just not supposed to kick in early in the first term of a president, but with Mr. Clinton it was damned near immediate. Disillusionment is supposed to rear its ugly head right after reelection, during the second term . Presidents all learn how to do business in Washington.
Compromise greases the wheels.
But that can't come in the first term if a landslide reelection is desired. A presidential candidate must be able to claim the political high road by claiming that four years wasn't enough time to sew the field of American dreams. Mr. Clinton hasn't ever been known for taking the path of least resistance, and so it was with his compromising style of governance. So it also was with his knack for surprising us. Without question, the show got very weird at times.