Clinton's Memoir Ushers In Different Wave of Nostalgia

[kskiska]

A very decent article on Clinton.

Sunday, June 13, 2004; Page A01

Now, it's the Democrats' turn. After a week-long flood of commentary on the most popular Republican president of modern times, the country is about to be immersed in another tide of reminiscence and argument about the most successful Democratic president within the memory of most voters.

A month anchored at the beginning by Ronald Reagan will be anchored at the end by Bill Clinton. The release of Clinton's memoirs, "My Life," on June 22 will put a spotlight on a presidency that in policies and style was wholly different from Reagan's. Like Reagan, however, Clinton as ex-president has seen the controversies of his tenure recede while appreciation for his outsized personality has seemed to deepen. And like Reagan, Clinton is now widely regarded as a touchstone for his party, including for the presumptive presidential nominee, John F. Kerry.

(snip)

While president and in the years since, Clinton has offered an upbeat vision of a diverse and interconnected planet. As Clinton sketches it, the world is filled with promise and peril, but far more of the former if nations work together to create an enlightened "international community." In Europe and elsewhere, polls show Clinton remains a highly popular figure.

(snip)

Only in retrospect do at least some surface similarities between Clinton and Reagan biographies and styles seem more apparent. Both were products of small towns and families shadowed by alcoholism. Both emerged from these backgrounds with cheerful public demeanors and a fundamentally optimistic view of life.

One major difference in the debate over their respective historical legacies is that the 57-year-old Clinton, if he remains in good health, will be a participant in the debate for decades. He left the presidency at the same age that Reagan was just beginning his political career. If Clinton lives to the same age as Reagan, the nation will hold his funeral in the year 2039.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37339-2004Jun12.html