President Bush must understand this. It seems that no amount of ability, education or experience interacting with the nation's and the world's elite could erase Bill Clinton's small-time, backroom mentality. Unfortunately, it's shared by his wife, now Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom many had hoped would emerge a better person. Style isn't everything, but it counts for something in high office.
Style helps a leader govern.
The Clintons' tawdriness and willingness to grab whatever they could for themselves will linger into history. In their own minds and according to their loyalists, they have done well. And in many ways, the Clinton presidency did good for the nation. But in thinking of BillClinton, the biblical parable about the man who buried his talent comes instantly to mind. Bill Clinton never really understood the stature of the office he held.