Posted 9:02 AM by Robert

It's All About ME (But I'm Not Responsible)

It's no big deal, but I continue to be amazed at how narcissism and intellectual dishonesty continually (perhaps continuously) flows from Bill Clinton. Right now, he is supposedly focused representing the US at the Pope's
funeral - an activity that wouldn't on the surface seem to lead to considering his own feckless term in office. But don't underestimate Bill's ability to think about Bill! From DRUDGE:

En route to Rome, Clinton told reporters the pope "centralized authority in the papacy again and enforced a very conservative theological doctrine. There will be debates about that. The number of Catholics increased by 250 million on his watch. But the numbers of priests didn't. He's like all of us - he may have a mixed legacy."

"All of us?" Who's in that "us" Mr. Clinton groups with this Pope besides Mr. Clinton himself? Don't stop thinking about your "legacy" Bill! Of course, one must feel the ex-president's pain at the huge throngs he is now witnessing in Rome, in comparison to which attendance at the temple to his own tiny legacy - his Presidential library - would hardly be a rounding error.

Well, one can't really have much of a legacy if one doesn't stand up for much while in office and take personal responsibility. That's an essential ingredient in why this Pope was - and is - such a big deal. Mr. Clinton drops this pearl:

Clinton was also asked about his first flight aboard Air Force One since the end of his presidency: "I never thought I'd be on this plane again - I had a good time. They have turkey burgers too, which they didn't have when I was here. If they'd been serving me turkey burgers, I might not have heart surgery."

Got that? Perhaps you thought that Bill Clinton placed all those Big Macs, fries and the cholesterol-laden like into his own body. Perhaps you thought that because he made those burgers and fries standard populist props that ultimately may have caused him some dire health consequences. But no, no - Bill Clinton wasn't responsible at all! If they'd been serving him turkey burgers, he might not have heart surgery. Naughty, naughty "they!"

Where does that go in his "legacy?" Bill Clinton, our "First President Cholesterol-Poisoned by White House and AF-I Staff?"

I wish Mr. Clinton many years of future good health. But every time he opens his mouth I'm reminded why I'm so glad this man is no longer President.

THIS JUST IN: President Bush, determined not to upstage the funeral of Pope John Paul II, kept an unusually low profile in Rome yesterday, although former President Bill Clinton gave a television interview watched by millions. ... It was the second day in a row that Mr. Clinton made headlines as he accompanied the Bushes on a three-day visit to Rome for the pope's funeral.

Of course, this raises the question of whether Mr. Clinton will play the saxophone in Saint Peter's Square during the actual service. Of course he won't - he'll be inside the basilica at that time and the Order of Service doesn't include a saxophone cadenza. So he'll have to wait until a little later when the service has ended but he still has a nice crowd that he doesn't want to go to waste. He likely feels that after they have traveled so far, it would be an offense to the multitude if Mr. Clinton didn't entertain them - he has an obligation and no choice, and he's not responsible.