Stained reputations

His strategy of fiscal discipline maintained U.S. economic expansion for nearly a decade. He facilitated a period of relative calm in the Middle East through the Camp David Accords, and he moved to put 100,000 more police on our streets. And on top of all that, he played a pretty mean sax. \nYes, Bill Clinton is definitely “the man,” which is why it’s a tragedy that he is often remembered for his exploits outside of the normal duties of our nation’s commander-in-chief. \nOne of my good friends just found out this week that she scored a summer internship with the William J. Clinton Foundation. Unfortunately, whenever she tells people about it, the comments she usually gets after the initial congratulations tend to go somewhat like this: \n“You’re interning for Bill Clinton? Will you get your own desk, or will you just work under one?”\nWhile I’ll admit to having cracked a few intern jokes myself, in retrospect, it’s kind of depressing that when people hear about such a cool job with opportunities to put together contracts for such a socially responsible organization, we almost immediately turn to the Monica Lewinsky jokes. \nMaintaining a squeaky clean love life – or whatever you want to call it – is not part of the job description of public officials. As long as it doesn’t compromise the ability of a politician to fulfill his or her role in public service, why is it our business? In our country’s proud history, we’ve had more than a few presidents who’ve gotten involved in some not-so-PG-rated situations. Thomas Jefferson, for example – one of our most revered founding fathers – not only had an affair with slave Sally Hemings, but evidence suggests he also had children with her. And look at JFK. Would Marilyn Monroe have sung “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to him in a dress like that if she weren’t “involved” with him? I seriously doubt it. \nI am by no means condoning extra-marital affairs, and I think public officials should strive for a high ethical standard, but the recent media obsession with the amorous exploits on Capitol Hill is more than extreme. Honestly, for me, it’s sometimes difficult to remember what went on in the world during 1998, since the front page of every major newspaper in the country was plastered with the latest in “Monica-gate.” It’s sad, but I think the recently sworn-in New York Gov. David Paterson was brilliant in publicly confessing to his past marital infidelities. Now he can actually focus on running his state without having to worry about being thrown from power by some muck-raking pen-pusher.\nSo let’s take our minds out of the gutter and keep our noses out of other people’s business. Hopefully, someday we’ll learn to focus on what’s important in the world of politics and not try to turn every government building into the set of “The Young and the Restless.” When that day comes, my poor intern friend will be able to tell people about her new job without worrying about “staining” her reputation. \nSorry. Sometimes I just can’t help myself.