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In a 14th century letter bearing the same title as this column, Francesco Petrarch, the father of the Italian Renaissance, warned the ruler of the Italian city-state of Padua: “Every people strives to imitate the deeds and habits of its prince. Hence, there is that very true saying that there is nothing more harmful to the state than the bad example of its prince.” Petrarch, a great admirer of Cicero, then pointed out that the renowned Roman orator had said much the same thing in his On the Laws. “[I]t is not so mischievous that men of high position do evil — though this evil is bad enough in itself — as it is that these men have so many imitators,” remarked Cicero. Indeed, the Roman solon continued, leaders “who do wrong are especially dangerous to the state, because they not only indulge in vicious practices themselves, but also infect the whole commonwealth with their vices....”
Still, Mr. Popularity couldn’t even leave the presidency quietly. In the days immediately following his departure, word came that the new occupants of the White House had found that the adjacent Old Executive Office Building, which during the Clinton administration was largely occupied by the staff of Vice President Al Gore, had been vandalized by the departing Clintonistas. According to Reuters, “reported pranks ranged from missing ‘W’ keys from some computer keyboards to graffiti in bathrooms or an office hallway to severed or misdirected phone lines and some makeshift signs placed on walls and doors.” For his part, during the last hours of his presidency, Clinton was busy granting pardons left and right.
As this is being written, Pardongate is still unfolding but appears to involve the trading of pardons for dollars. Among those pardoned was fugitive billionaire Marc Rich, who was indicted in 1983 “on more than 50 counts of wire fraud, racketeering, evading more than $48 million in U.S. income taxes and trading with Iran in violation of a U.S. embargo,” according to Reuters. Rich’s pardon came after his ex-wife donated more than $1 million to the Clintons and the Democratic Party. She also reportedly made more than a dozen visits to the White House and was reportedly there the night before the pardons were handed down. One wonders what transpired during those visitations. Joining Marc Rich on the list of those pardoned is cocaine trafficker Carlos Vignali and herbal medicine magnate Glenn Braswell, who has been under investigation for tax evasion and money laundering according to the cyber journal Salon. Between the two of them, they paid Hillary Clinton’s brother Hugh Rodham almost $400,000 to help secure the pardons. When news of that payoff went public, Rodham returned the money.
At the very least, both Pardongate and Vandalgate would seem to merit an investigation. The vandalism, however, has apparently been forgotten. As for Pardongate, U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White said that her office and the FBI “have opened an investigation to determine whether there have been any violations of federal law” in the pardon of Marc Rich. Congress is also looking into the Marc Rich pardon. But where is George W. Bush on the matter?
“[A]s far as this White House is concerned, it’s time to go forward. I have too much to do … to be worrying about decisions that my predecessor made,” Bush told reporters regarding the Clinton pardons. The new president was similarly uninterested in the vandalism of the Old Executive Office Building. “There might have been a prank or two. Maybe somebody put a cartoon on the wall, but that’s OK,” said Dubya. “It’s time now to move forward.” That’s right, according to the man who is directed by the Constitution to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,” it is “OK” to vandalize federal property.
America does not need four years of moral ambivalence in the wake of the most overtly corrupt administration in history. In the United States, there is not supposed to be a class or caste with the privilege of being above the law. In America, all citizens are supposed to be equal in the eyes of the law, and that includes presidents and former presidents. The nation will not move forward as President Bush so fervently desires if he takes no interest in investigating the corruption of his predecessor.
In his advice to rulers on how to govern a state, Petrarch wrote that a leader “must always render justice” and “must lust after the treasure of virtue and win the fame of outstanding glory.” Sadly, if the opening weeks of his presidency are any indication, it seems unlikely that President Bush will heed such wise -counsel.
