In Defense Of Clinton

"We will never have great leaders as long as we mistake education for intelligence, ambition for ability, and lack of transgression for integrity!" ~ seen on a bumper sticker

A Conservative friend of mine e-mailed me with this question:

"How did you end up having so many hostile liberals commenting on your blog?"

I have to honestly say I don't know. But I am starting to wonder if the presence of hostile Liberals in my comments is the reason I don't get as many Conservatives commenting as I used to.

The same person who sent that e-mail didn't comment on my blog. Perhaps the presence of hostility keeps friendly commentators away. I myself, have stopped commenting on at least one other blog because of the number of hostile commentators who attack everything I say regardless of lucidity and logic. They take even the most factual of facts and spin them to, in effect, imply that I'm an idiot.

So, I rarely comment over there anymore. When I do, it's as a stealth commentator, sneaking in, laying down a bomb, and making a hasty exit.

I just get weary of the incessant attacks on my credibility.

I get particularly incensed over allegations that I am a liar. I am many things, but a liar is not one of them. I will tell the truth if a lie will save my life. I may be mistaken often, or unknowingly give erroneous information, but I never lie.

As my older brother, who is now a college professor, says, "I may not always be right, but I'm never wrong". I might amend that to say, "I may not always tell the truth, but I never lie". It looks self-contradictory, but it isn't.

But I digress. I didn't intend to make this post about me.

I wanted to address something that happened recently that I haven't heard much about on Conservative talk radio.

A lot of Conservative talk show hosts have condemned the politicization of Coretta Scott King's funeral, and rightly so. It was indeed deplorable for Former President Jimmy Carter and Dr. Lowry to turn the funeral into a political rally. I have said in the past, that I like Jimmy Carter, but he was wrong to do what he did. Lowry's remarks didn't surprise me.

I hesitate to discuss this in light of my recent meltdown over at Trixie's place, which spilled over into mine, but I can argue that instead of making me hypocritical, it makes me an expert on proper decorum under a funereal situation. In other words, I have learned my lesson and seek to now instruct others.

But the subject of Carter and Lowry's insensitivity is not my focus today. There have been more than enough comments made about that.

I will focus instead, on the remarks that President Bill Clinton made at the funeral, which were highly appropriate and eloquent.

He did an admirable job. Congratulations to him for taking the high ground. He is not one I would normally consider to have that much integrity. But, as I said in a previous post, never let it be said that I am not intellectually honest.

I will give credit where credit is due everytime, and Bill Clinton is due every bit of that credit.

On the other hand, Hillary Clinton also maintained the high level of respect that Ms. King deserved. But her remarks appeared rather disengenous, in my humble opinion. Not for what she said in her remarks, but how she said them. She had some very nice things to say, but it seemed to me as if she was reading the words for the first time, and without putting on her reading glasses first.

So there you have it. I have parted from my Conservative friends for one brief instant. But never fear, friends. I am still very much Conservative.

I just felt, since the Conservative talk show hosts had glossed over Clinton's remarks, that someone had to stand up for him, and I hope that this wasn't the last time he does something right.