Just back from a dinner party at Christopher Hitchens’s – a refreshingly eclectic crowd, from David Frum to Lewis Lapham. For some unaccountable reason, Mrs. Graham didn’t invite any of us to her inaugural Georgetown dinner party for W. I’m crushed. Anyway, much glee from all sides on Rodhamscam. Hitch and I barely agree on most things, but we’re at one on Clinton. “The question to ask,” he growled mischievously by the fireplace, “is are the Clintons better off than they were eight years ago?” He told me about the 5000 square foot penthouse to be attached to Clinton’s presidential library, a detail that previous presidents had somehow overlooked in theirs’. Cocktail chatter revolved around exactly why Clinton did what he did. Bear with me. I know the obvious answer is: he’s Clinton! These are the kinds of things he does. And you’d be right. But what intrigues me is the following question: Why, when he is intent on burnishing his record, did he decide to go out in a blaze of sleaze? He must have known that these pardons would stink – that’s why they were diverted from the usual channels and sprung upon us mere hours before his term expired. I don’t buy Paul Begala’s theory that Clinton was simply tired and screwed up. So why take this simply enormous hit? I have a couple of theories, but would welcome any others you might have. The first is simple enough: he wants the money. What for? Well, maybe he just wants it. If Marc Rich, in five years’ time, invites Clinton to Switzerland to give a speech for $5 million, do you think Slick Willie would say no? It pays to pardon the rich and connected. Some would object that Clinton has never really been personally rapacious before – he’s interested in power, not money, etc etc. But now that he’s been a two-term president of the United States, don’t you think he’s smart enough to have figured out that in the power-game, he’s had it all? Why not cash in finally? And while he’s at it, why not also demonstrate his utter contempt for the media, his fellow Democrats, the pathetic toadies who bought his b.s. for so long, and the rest of the VRWC who can do nothing but splutter at the sheer brazenness of it all?
THE HILLARY ANGLE: Alternatively, another theory holds that all of this end-game sleaze is designed to butter up future contributors for his wife, Hillary. The game continues – but under a different hat. So the risks of the last-minute pardons were worth it for future campaign gold for HRC. I’m afraid I don’t buy it. Clinton will have plenty of opportunity to raise money for Hillary in the future, and by January 20, he had put his support behind Terry McAuliffe to run the Democrats anyway. Besides, Clinton’s not a fool. He must have known that the kind of pardons he granted would inevitably wound Hillary – perhaps fatally for her presidential ambitions. So here’s a thought: do you think this could be deliberate? Was this last-minute sleaze actually a clever device to sabotage his goody-goody wife for good and all? What better way than to devise a particular pardon-scandal that would deeply implicate Hillary’s own brother! That way, Bill gets his own back on Hillary’s attempt to escape his lure and taint, and reminds her how she got where she is. He also gets to vent his anger at all the humiliation his marital problems have brought upon him. I realize I’m in complete pop-psycho land here, but, after all we’ve gone through, is this scenario completely implausible? Personally, I think it’s a combination of all of the above, what my shrink calls “multi-determined.” I think Clinton did it because he could; I think he likes rewarding people who might subsequently reward him; I think he may quietly be glad Hillary is wounded just as he is deep-down thrilled that Gore didn’t win. And through all of this, Clinton gets to be in the limelight he still craves, and will do almost anything to get. Deeply, deeply pathetic, but possibly true.
The Dish 