As I sit here listening to "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow", I can't help feeling sad that Bill Clinton's presidency is coming to end. This president is a man of incredible charm, talent, and ability. I can still remember watching his victory party on election night, 1992. I didnt like him much from the start, but as the years went on, that feeling wore off. They say that this man has a remarkable ability to win people over. He has succeeded with me.
I can only wonder why it has happened so close to the end of his presidency. For the past eight years, I have followed politics very closely at times, and from a great distance at others but its been an interesting and exciting eight years nonethless. Never again will I be able to follow the life of an American president as I have with Clinton. He was elected president when I was 12 and will leave office when I am 20, thereby serving as president through my teenage years. I remember watching Air Force One take off from Westover Air Force Base and fly right over my house, en route to Maine to campaign for 1996 re-election. The plane was the only thing in the clear, dark sky and i watched it in awe until I could no longer see its lights on the northern horizon. At this impressionable period in life, I really didnt have to worry about the economy or any of the other big issues that really matter to working people. I was able to view the whole thing from a safe distance so to speak... I really wasnt directly affected enough by any of the issues to be polarized at one side or the other. So, when someone asks me in the future about Clinton's presidency, I wont be able to really describe my feelings towards this man in a tangible way as someone older than me might. They perhaps would say that their job was created by Clinton's work on the economy or that they were able to stay home with a sick family member because of legislation he pushed for and ultimately signed into law, or any of a wide variety of other things. For me, it just more of a good feeling. I watched him summarize the achievements of the past eight years last night during his speech in Los Angeles and they were certainly impressive. He cant take all the credit of course, but his campaign for the presidenct in 1992 was symbolic of a man with a mission... he was going to washington to change things. And he did. And I am definetly pleased with his performance.
But, like I said, for me, its more of a feeling. There is a certain aura that surrounds this person that I dont think we will see for a very long time, if ever. Clinton is already a legend in my mind. Some say his legacy is uncertain. I don't think he has anything to worry about.