Both disfigure many a political career. Seemingly, both are indispensable elements inherent in the fortuitously chaotic challenge of governing, perhaps the least successful of all human endeavors. But it does not follow from this that the results can be only bad. In fact most are acceptable, and some are surprisingly good. Whether largely brought about by any one person, excellent results of many kinds also show up from time to time.
More damage is done by failure to act than by acting badly.
Mr. Clinton is an interesting case. With paranoid persistency his opponents have charged him with almost all the negatives one could dream up. Yet his performance as President is repeatedly approved by the public, and he recently won reelection going away. This is a curious inconsistency. His competitors, of course, dismiss his success by making yet another accusation, to wit, that he is the consummate artful dodger.