But even Clinton's achievements of prosperity and peace now look hollow. In hindsight, we know that much of the prosperity was a bubble fueled by venal corporate criminals. And there was peace only because the Clinton White House chose not to see that Osama Bin Laden had already declared war on us.
The yearning for those days is foolish, but probably harmless - except for the Democratic Party. If its leaders look to Clinton for anything other than a pep talk, they are courting disaster.
American politics, like everything else, changed on 9/11. As the last election proved, the game is no longer about traditional standards of interest groups and issue positions. Biography, charisma and the polish of education matter far less than they did just four years ago.
The new gold standard is at once more elusive and more precise. For every would-be leader, the test is this: Are you rock-solid? Those who cannot say yes, and convince voters, need not apply. Weakness, waffling, nuance, process - they're luxuries from a bygone era.
Bubba had his run. His time, and times, have passed. He isn't ready to accept that, but we must. The future demands it.
When Reagan died earlier this year we were reminded of how he restored American confidence and strength. The Presidential campaign showed us how important those qualities are in our current situation. The opening of Clinton's library demonstrated that his brand of politics may have been good for him personally, but there is little there for us to use in our current fight. Much like Carter's attempts at peace in the Middle East, Clinton's efforts yielded praise and no success.
In times of peace or faux peace we can pat ourselves on the back for "thoughtful" policies of negotiation and agreement that have no chance of actually working. Since the press and academia share the liberal view that every madman is really just a misunderstood statesman looking for a negotiated compromise, guys like Clinton and Carter will win the Nobel peace prizes for their naivety, while the heroes that bring peace will be derided as dangerous war mongers.
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