Now that the Clinton Administration is staggering toward its close, what can we say about how it stacks up against others throughout our history for ethical behavior?
The answer seems obvious based on Clinton having been impeached and facing possible indictment after leaving office, but that’s chiefly a consequence of his attempts to evade his cheap, greasy personal behavior.
Moving beyond the personal lapses and other low-rent scandals (lying about illegal closed-door meetings on health care, trumping up charges against Travel Office employees to benefit wealthy contributors etc.), it seems to me that the biggest ethical lapse that can be laid against the Clintons is in the area of campaign fundraising. Not only was nothing done on reform, there was a mad scramble to raise as much dough as possible by whatever means necessary. Infusions of campaign cash from abroad were accompanied by suspicious favors (i.e. technology transfers to China, limitations on development of low-sulfur coal resources that benefited an Indonesian benefactor). All this from a leader who promised us the cleanest administration in history.
Despite all this, I think the Clinton might barely make the top 10 all-time for sleaziness. Clinton doesn’t compare with Nixon (despite his failure to learn from Dick that it’s not necessarily the crime, it’s the coverup, stupid). And I think the worst behavior under Reagan (the Iran-Contra scandal) tops anything Clinton did as a serious transgression against the Republic. Our rummy-nosed leader might also fail to top Grant and Harding for corruption on his watch.
Your rankings?