To Forgive Would Be Divine

Bush must know there's no hook big enough to yank Bubba entirely off the stage, but continuing to prosecute him would only give him a brighter spotlight. TV loves nothing more than someone famous in the docket. During a Clinton State of the Union speech, the networks kept a crawl on the bottom of the screen with updates on the O.J. jury deliberations. Clinton's trial would be a crawl on the bottom of the screen of the Bush presidency. And for what? Is there a negative about Clinton yet to be established, a pound of flesh left to be extracted, a point about the mysterious Clinton marriage left to make?

Bush needn't worry that a pardon would move impeachment to the second paragraph of Clinton's bio. On the contrary, it would seal the Nixon comparison with Clinton the only other President to be pardoned. And it would make Bush seem more statesmanlike. Even among those who don't think Clinton has suffered enough, there are many who think there's been enough suffering to go around. In varying forms, every President ends up with something he needs to seek forgiveness for--and from the whole country, not just from those who voted for him. Those who have given forgiveness are more likely to get it.

If Bush still doubts that a pardon would be a big win, he should look at Clinton's reaction to the idea: "I wouldn't ask for it. I don't think it would be necessary" and "I don't want one." Some Republicans may think he's doing his best Br'er Rabbit imitation. Those close to him say no, he actually believes Ray will pounce as soon as the moving van pulls away from the White House. Clinton prefers to take his chances fighting, as he has so many times before. One reason is that an overwhelmingly Democratic Washington jury is not likely to convict him (remember, even a Republican Senate didn't). But there's a more compelling, unspoken reason he doesn't want Bush's get-out-of-jail-free card. A pardon is the one thing you can't weasel out of. It carries with it the unmistakable implication of guilt, yet there's no precedent for refusing one. Think about it. To the more sophisticated Republicans, Bush could prove a hero for coming closer than anyone else has to nailing Clinton.