In the same way that many Bostonians of Irish descent rallied around the corrupt James Curley, and many white Alabamians rallied around the racist George Wallace, so, too, did many black Americans rally around the shameless Marion Barry. The racial boundary-crossing that this assertion of loyalties entails is fine, even moving. The problem is that what some praise as the virtue of forgiveness is really the vice of complacency. Though virtually all of Clinton's prominent black loyalists condemn the sexual affair and attempted cover-up that has now indelibly besmirched his presidency, many do so without real conviction. At the grass roots, even the gesture of condemnation is often absent.
Forgiveness is a virtue.
But so is taking responsibility. Bill Clinton has gotten a lot of political mileage from talking about the virtues of taking personal responsibility for one's actions. This rhetoric of responsibility has been an important part of his electoral strategy and domestic policy agenda. Clinton's responsibility rhetoric figures prominently, for example, in his insistence on ending welfare as we know it. His responsibility rhetoric also buttresses his stalwart support for capital punishment and a draconian war on drugs.