Clinton, William J. (1946–)

THE PRESIDENCY of Bill Clinton, which presidential history scholars have called “puzzling” and “bizarre,” will go down in American history as unique in a number of ways. Before Clinton took office, it was taken for granted that 20th-century presidents would have served in the military. Not only had Clinton failed to serve in the military, he had actually avoided the draft. Supporters of Republican candidate George H. W. Bush (1924–) hired airplanes to hover over Clinton campaign rallies displaying banners suggesting that voters should not vote for a “draft dodger.”

While Clinton campaigners were generally aggressive, they neglected to put the Republican accusation in the context of widespread distaste for military duty as the Vietnam War became more and more unpopular. Clinton was also criticized for smoking marijuana as a college student, and few people believed him when he insisted that he had not inhaled.

During the honeymoon period enjoyed by most presidents, Clinton tried to fulfill a campaign promise by ending discrimination against gays in the military. In response to a public outcry and outrage in the military, the president settled for a “don't-askdon't-tell” policy that begged the question.

Scandal haunted the Clinton presidency; yet, he survived Whitewater, Travelgate, Nannygate, Troopergate, the suicide of a close adviser, only to become the second president in history to be impeached by the House of Representatives. Like Andrew Johnson (1808–75), Clinton was not removed from office by the Senate. Unlike Johnson, Clinton retained the approval of many Americans throughout the impeachment process. During this period, Clinton's job approval rating hovered at 70 percent. Clinton's popularity during the impeachment proceedings is even more remarkable when compared with Ronald Reagan's 40 percent approval rating during the Iran-Contra scandal. Known as the “Comeback Kid,” Clinton was a survivor, and the American people were more interested in the booming economy that had led the country out of recession than in political scandals.

During the Clinton administration, white-collar crime flourished in both the public and private sectors. Attorney General Janet Reno, the first woman to hold that office, was involved in investigating campaign illegalities in both the presidential and vice-presidential campaigns, in addition to investigating Clinton's involvement in Whitewater and several sex scandals. Reno also went after companies that violated antitrust laws such as Microsoft and put pressure on federal lawmakers to bring an end to securities fraud and insider trading. She effected a major overhaul within the Justice Department, promoting governmental ethics by appointing ethics advisers to serve in the offices of all U.S. attorneys.