Obama might sign the Colombian trade deal after all

[Valmy]

What did Clinton actually do, anyways?  Of course I remember the government shutdown and the DMCA, but what did his administration accomplish?

Free trade agreements for he was big on spreading the wonderous gospel of neo-liberal economics throughout the world.  For that his name shall always be holy.

That the guy was a slime ball is merely an inconvenient fact.

[MadImmortalMan]

What did Clinton actually do, anyways?  Of course I remember the government shutdown and the DMCA, but what did his administration accomplish?

People get too hung up on the need to "accomplish something". Sometimes, just not fucking everything up is the best thing to do. Though IMO, Billy did accomplish a lot.

[Valmy]

The President has kept all the promises he intended to keep  -then press secretary George Stephanopoulos

Greatest Clinton-era quote ever.  That just about sums up Democratic candidates.

[Neil]

What did Clinton actually do, anyways?  Of course I remember the government shutdown and the DMCA, but what did his administration accomplish?

Free trade agreements for he was big on spreading the wonderous gospel of neo-liberal economics throughout the world.  For that his name shall always be holy.

That the guy was a slime ball is merely an inconvenient fact.

Well, I'll give him credit for that.  Clinton was far more courageous than Obama ever could be, since Clinton stood up to organized labour.

[DGuller]

But it's also important to remember that Clinton presided over the beginning of the lost decade, when we decided to gear the entire economy towards financial sector, which turned out to be one big wealth-destroying casino.  Bush took it to the next level, but Clinton started it (or sat idly by while others did it).

[Sheilbh]

It is amazing how good some of the Bushitler's policies suddenly look once he is safely out of office.

To be fair Bush was a pretty decent President once he was weak.  When he'd lost Congress and most of his credibility he proved to be a good weak President, he was only bad when he had Congress's support and some residue of popularity.

Most of Bush's 'realist' policies that he followed from 2006 are generally pretty decent, as were many of his appointees.  I still think Hank Paulson deserves a bit more respect and love than he gets, he was in a truly dreadful position and it's impossible to imagine any of Bush's other Treasury Secretaries handling it as well as Paulson did.  I think he also did some very important things that were hugely unpopular but right.  Similarly I've a lot of time for Gates.

That doesn't mean I am not still a little dissapointed the guy who actually said he would do the things that Obama is now doing could not be elected.

He could but for two or three glaring reasons.  Sarah Palin above all.  Imagine the horror and fear everyone would feel every time McCain got the sniffles

He promised to recognize the Armenian Genocide.  People died and then Barack lied. 

To be fair I generally like the idea of recognising the Armenian genocide.  I think now would be a bad time, because the Turks and Armenians are talking for the first time in 20 years.  The gossip is that they'll probably normalise relationships and open the borders.  I think America making a grand, but right, declaration could hurt those negotiations and it would be better for the US (and the EU) to support them and actually try and improve two countries' relationships now than to take the moral position on the genocide.

Sad as that is.

[MadImmortalMan]

He could but for two or three glaring reasons.  Sarah Palin above all.  Imagine the horror and fear everyone would feel every time McCain got the sniffles

Another is that the Dems didn't run Kerry again.

[Sheilbh]

Another is that the Dems didn't run Kerry again.

Indeed after rummaging through the country to find the only person less charismatic than Gore the Democrats finally realised that running a live human candidate is allowed.