Clintonesque

The recent fracas between the Clinton’s and Obama reminded me of the constantly too clever by half constant parsing of language that constantly was one of the major leit motifs of the Clinton presidency. For example, “I smoke marijuana but did not inhale” or “I did not have sex with that woman” are two examples that leap immediately to mind.

All of this is twisted and embedded in the mendaciousness of Southern culture with its all to clear roots in racism, slavery and of course the notion that you can lie about anything. It is difficult to imagine a person writing something like “all men are created equal” and immediately parse that statement to mean – white men like me are created equal. Bill Clinton is really just in another line of white guys who will only go so far down the line with folks of color – when you find yourself in a street fight he’s the type that remembers he has to help his mom with the dishes as he runs away yelling “Hey good luck fellas.” He’s certainly not a Benjamin Wade --- in point of fact he’s recently taught us that he has more in common with the also impeached Andrew Johnson than we ever realized.

All in all – each and every time that I see Bill Clinton – I think about Hue Hef.