January:
The president whose talents always seemed undone by his follies left office in January 2001 trailing the stench of one last scandal. Last-minute presidential pardons given to fugitive financier Marc Rich and others suggested anew that political contributions — and family connections — had been the coin of Clinton's realm. By March, "Clinton fatigue" had dropped the former president's once-unshakable approval ratings to an all-time low of 39 percent.

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