Billions more for school construction and 100,000 new teachers. Another hike in the minimum wage. A bill to make Big Tobacco pay for the addiction and crushing health costs smoking can cause. And legislation to reform the kind of campaign-finance abuses that are among Clinton's ugliest legacies. None of the proposals have been made real.
Great Presidents get a lot of other people to do great things.
Even more damaging, Clinton has been holding his political capital in reserve for the potential impeachment battles on the Hill. He can't risk the bruising negotiations it takes to pass a bill or resort to the bully pulpit to push his agenda because he must maintain cordial relations with the Congress that may soon be his judge and jury. It's playing with his mind. Deep down in his own gut, it's there. Yet when Senate majority leader Trent Lott set about killing the tobacco bill, Clinton did nothing.