[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/21/politics/21CLIN.html[/url]

Clinton and Aides Lay Plans to Repair a Battered Image

December 21, 2001
Clinton and Aides Lay Plans to Repair a Battered Image
By RICHARD L. BERKE
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 — Even after Bill Clinton was elected president, his
campaigning never seemed to stop. In the White House, he was always keenly
attentive to polls and political calculations and presided over what
became known as a "permanent campaign."
Now, Mr. Clinton is trying to extend the permanent campaign even beyond
his presidency.
Frustrated that his image has been battered since he left office, Mr.
Clinton summoned several of his aides and advisers on Wednesday to devise
ways to remind the public of his accomplishments and defend his legacy
against criticism on matters including his role in the current recession
and his failure to strike a fatal blow against Osama bin Laden or his
terrorist network after the embassy bombings in East Africa in 1998.
Several participants at the meeting in Mr. Clinton's Harlem office said in
interviews that they had agreed to compile a list of the Clinton
administration's achievements that his supporters could have handy when
defending the president. They hope to build a staff that will coordinate
efforts to enlist former cabinet secretaries and other Clinton surrogates
to appear on television talk shows and deliver speeches. And they are
making plans to raise Mr. Clinton's profile on the lecture circuit,
particularly before college audiences, which are most receptive.
Participants in the session said Mr. Clinton was concerned that Democratic
leaders had not sufficiently spoken up for his administration, especially
his centrist policies on health care, welfare, crime and education. As
part of the campaign to refurbish his image, Mr. Clinton wants to play a
central role in setting an issue agenda for the Democrats and for the
party's aspiring Congressional and presidential candidates, his advisers
said.
No modern president has ever mounted such an aggressive and organized
drive to affect the agenda after leaving the White House.
"It's important that the president's legacy not be squandered because his
own people remain silent and scattered," said Bill Richardson, Mr.
Clinton's energy secretary, who like many others took part through a
telephone hookup. "It's important that the Democratic Party not turn away
from Clinton's centrist legacy that brought us economic prosperity."
Several participants said they did not want to discuss the meeting out of
respect for Mr. Clinton's privacy. Others also acknowledged that they were
worried that Mr. Clinton could be portrayed as preoccupied with his
reputation and not conducting himself appropriately for a former
president.
"I feel very uncomfortable talking about these meetings," said Sandy
Berger, Mr. Clinton's former national security adviser.
"As far as I'm concerned, it was a private meeting, so I'm not going to
say anything," said Al From, the executive director of the Democratic
Leadership Council.

Others, insisting they had nothing to hide, were not so reluctant.
Rodney Slater, Mr. Clinton's transportation secretary, said an impetus for
the meeting was to make sure that the former president's policies were
still in the public discourse.
"As much as anything, it was to recognize that we were part of something
special," Mr. Slater said, "that there were still opportunities out there
for us to express opinions about things and professional judgments."
Douglas Sosnik, who was Mr. Clinton's political director and later one of
his most senior aides, put it this way: "Under President Clinton's
leadership, we accomplished a remarkable amount in the last eight years,
and his friends feel we should be doing a better job of getting that out
proactively. Since he left office, we've spent too much time on the
defensive, reacting to stories."
Gene Sperling, who was Mr. Clinton's top economic aide, said, "Most of the
conversation was really about what kind of things he should be doing with
his time, what his long- term service contributions should be."
Julia Payne, Mr. Clinton's spokeswoman, said she would have no comment
about "a private meeting."
While Mr. Clinton had held meetings with advisers before, participants
described this one as having a special urgency.
Mr. Clinton dominated the session, which lasted nearly two hours,
participants said. They said he was careful not to criticize President
Bush. And they said that while he expressed concern that he was being
blamed for not catching Osama bin Laden, most of the discussion was about
how to raise his profile and press his case on domestic matters.
Even during his presidency, Mr. Clinton was deeply interested in how he
would be perceived by history. Now, the efforts to deploy surrogates to
speak out for him are reminiscent of his vaunted war rooms in the White
House, which were established for him to seize the political offensive on
matters that included Whitewater and health care.
"He basically said our legacy is being pummeled and we have to find ways
to revive it," said one participant, who described it as if it were a
meeting of the top lieutenants of a political campaign. "We concluded that
the Clinton hard core were not on message, and we had to develop a center
of gravity. We have to remind people of what we did on the economy, what
we did with the crime bill, what we did with terrorism." He added,
"They're trying to pin the bin Laden thing on us."
Participants said that while some nice things were said about the
Democratic leaders in Congress, Senator Tom Daschle and Representative
Richard A. Gephardt, there was a view that they would only do so much to
press the Clinton agenda. "The view was that House and Senate Democrats
were too preoccupied with their own re-elections and their own deals," one
participant said.

Other participants included Maggie Williams, Mr. Clinton's current chief
of staff; John D. Podesta, Mr. Clinton's former chief of staff; Bruce
Lindsey, Mr. Clinton confidant; Eli J. Segal, the former head of Mr.
Clinton's national service organization; Steve Richetti, who was a deputy
chief of staff; Maria Echavesta, a former deputy chief of staff; and
Cheryl Mills, a deputy White House counsel. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
of New York did not take part, nor did former Vice President Al Gore or
any of his advisers.
Mr. Clinton's advisers said part of the discussion was over how active the
former president should be in stumping for Democratic candidates next
year. They said they had not reached a determination.
"He does not want to appear to be upstaging Bush," said one participant.
"But the alternative to that is to continue to see his legacy vanish.
Clinton said he was getting more of a positive response about his legacy
with younger people."
Mr. Richardson, for one, said it was appropriate for Mr. Clinton to have a
more public role.
"I'm pleased that the president will be more active in ensuring his
legacy," he said.

Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company

This man is seriously ill mentally...

Good Lord, will he ever go away?

How pathetic is this?  If his image needs to be repaired that much, it is obvious he was a horrible President.  He accomplished nothing except stripping rights from free people.  I'll sum up his legacy right here...
Monica Lewinsky
Whitewater
Pardongate
Looting the White House
Vince Foster
Paula Jones
Gennifer Flowers
Elian
Chinagate
Waco
Impeachment
I'm sure I missed something.

With this kind of legacy, he will need more than a James Carville spin to repair his image.

Well put and I'm sure you did miss a bunch of stuff but you did hit the high points! Every time I see that sneering smile of his it still pisses me off. I absolutely resent my tax dollars funding that c*ck suckers retirement for probably the next  40 years! What a piece of work and voted in for 2 terms! How stupid can a populace be! Never mind!

His friends at ABC, NBC, and CBS will help him out.

More on the toon's image/record.

Lying Under Oath as President - 2 times
Lying Under Oath as Governor - 5 times
Lying Under Oath as Attorney General
Lying Under Oath in a Deposition
Lying Under Oath to a Grand Jury
Lying Under Oath as a Lawyer
Abuse of Power
Obstruction of Justice
Deriliction of Duty
Bribe Solicitation
Taking Bribes
Bribery of Cabinent Members
Bribery of State Officials
Treason
Corruption
Coersion
Graft
False Swearing
Malfeasance of Office
Perjury
Subornation of Perjury
Criminal Trespass
Witness Intimidation
Witness Tampering
Jury Tampering
Ethics Violations
Intentional Interference in the Administration of Justice
Misrepresentation
Civil Contempt of Court
Criminal Contempt of Court
Contempt of Congress
Contempt of the American People
High Crimes
Misdemeanors
Deception
False Testimony
Factually False Testimony
Misconduct
Serious Misconduct
Professional Misconduct
Notorious Misconduct
Obstruction of the Judicial Process
Recklessness
Grand Larceny
Extortion
Blackmail
Substance Abuse
Evidence Suppression
Illegal Foriegn Campaign Funding
Aiding and Abetting Espionage
Improper Exports of Sensitve Technology
Attempted Intimidation of Prosecutors
Destruction of Business Records with Intent to Defraud
Failure to Investigate Drug Trafficking
Real Estate Fraud
Criminalizing Frauds on Financial Institutions
Use of State Police for Personal Purposes
Illegal Loan Extraction
False Reports by Medical Examiners and Others Investigating Suspicious Deaths
Improper Futures Trading
Illegal Use of the Executive Branch
Character Defamation
Voter Fraud
Racketeering
Destruction of Evidence
Political Espionage
Money Laundering
Criminal Negligence
RICO Conspiracy
Misuse of Government Files
Desecration of Federal Ethics Laws
Judicial Intimidation
Conflict of Interests
Illegal Campaign Activity
Misuse of Corporate Assets
Ordering Politically Motivated Audits
Ordering Politically Motivated Investigations
Timing of War Influenced by Political Considerations
Misapplying Funds
Conspiracy to Defraud the Federal Government
Criminal Violation of the Privacy Act
Conspiracy to Conceal
Evisceration of the Right to Habeas Corpus
Misuse of Taxpayer Funds
Interfering with a Court Order
Theft of Government Property
Abuse of Taxpayer Financed Travel
Anti-American Espionage
Jeopardizing National Security
Aiding and Abetting Drug Traffic
Aiding and Abetting Organized Crime
Murder by Accessory by Witness Tampering
Murder by Accessory by Forgery
Foreign Influence Peddling
Regular Influence Peddling
Corrupting Public Discourse
Providing False and Misleading Testimony
Interferring with a Custody Case
Kidnapping by Accessory
Child Endangerment
Sexual Harassment
Indecent Exposure
Sexual Abuse of Employees
Lewd and Lascivious Conduct
Exchange of Promotions or Benefits for Sexual Favors
Sexual Assault
Statutory Rape
Contributing to the Delinquincy of a Minor
Unfit to hold a law license
Conduct Unbecoming a President
Squandering the Public Trust

As detailed above, this waste of flesh was indeed "something special".

[IMG]http://www.contrabandent.com/pez//contrib/edoom/blowingup.gif[/IMG]Clinton

Outstanding list posted by skipper].
The only thing he missed on his listing was: [b]self abuse[/b]: for being married to that bitch Hillary.

I do not take credit for the list. It was posted on freerepublic.com by freeper SLYFOX.

Outstanding list! And just think - those are the high crimes and misdemeanors we know about!

Unfortunately, the new Bush Administration is not keen on uncovering more - it would be too unseemly!

The only thing 'special' about the Clinton presidency was the 'special sauce' that he spilled on Monica's blue dress!

Eric The(OhWell,ISupposeThat'sSomethingForTheSmithsonianExhibitOnHisTermInOffice)Hun[>]:)]

Great lists.

"Ruby Ridge" anyone?

-Velveeta

Well, Ruby Ridge occurred during Bush the First! [>]:)]

Well I guess I am mgetting old. They are all starting to run together.  Thanks.

-Velveeta

While Clinton may not have been the worst president, he was the worst person that was ever president.
(paraphrased and I can't remember the author)

"They're trying to pin the bin Laden thing on us."

Getting rid of Clinton was nothing less than dodging a bullet except for the thousands that died on 9-11 didn't dodge a Clinton bullet. He does not accept responsibility for his failed policies even when President Bush shows what Clinton should have done in 1994. He is a sick puppy who may have killed millions yet by his policy of giving away and not guarding USA technology.

... his image would radically improve for me

... if he was exiled to an abandoned south seas Pacific island.

It is a tiny bit "unsettling" to see this learned group making fun of any person that is "ill."  Even Ex. Clinton.
Further, many of you are "medically" experienced (toads, mushrooms, grass, etc.) and your failure to make a proper diagnosis despite the evidence is surprising.

Ex. Clinton is obviously suffering from deep "Camera Deprivation."

When all is said and done, the post header should read, "Clinton Plans Lay to Repair Battered Image".

Goad, that was by George Will, and, while not exact, it is close enough.