I know a lot of political conservatives who gag at the mention of Bill and Hillary Clinton, and I cannot understand why. It's one thing to disagree with a person's politics, it's quite another to judge an entire family's character. An entire segment of the right will characterize "Billary" as calculating, devious, and deceptive, which may be true, but how does that make them any different than your average politician? Surely amidst these qualities, which are most definitely exaggerated, lie honorable traits and intentions.
For instance, thanks to FreeDarko (via TrueHoop), I just learned Bill Clinton wrote a letter to Chris Webber after he blew the NCAA championship game against my Tarheels by calling a timeout, when the Wolverines had no timeouts left. The transcript of Clinton's letter is below:
Dear Chris,
I have been thinking of you a lot since I sat glued to the TV during the championship game.
I know that there may be nothing I or anyone else can say to ease the pain and discouragement of what happened.
Still, for whatever it's worth, you, and your team, were terrific. And part of playing for high stakes under great pressure is the constant risk of mental error. I know. I have lost two political races and made countless mistakes over the last twenty years. What matters is the intensity, integrity, and courage you bring to the effort. That is certainly what you have done. You can always regret what occurred but don't let it get you down or take away the satisfaction of what you have accomplished.
You have a great future. Hang in there.
Sincerely, Bill Clinton
Some, who have already decided the character of the Clintons will dismiss this as another shrewd political move, probably done to woo the Wolverine electorate. Seriously, though, where does that line of thinking end? Can't a Clinton just be nice? After all what kind of person would write a book advising people on how to change the world through giving? What a jerk.
No comments:
Post a Comment