classical sense, that of a hero brought down by his own fatal
flaw. Hounded throughout his two terms by Conservative op-
ponents with Javert-like tenacity, Clinton still managed to pre-
side over a period of prosperity, fueled by the soaring New
Economy, unmatched in modern American history. He was ulti-
mately impeached on, and acquitted of, charges that included
perjuring himself about a dalliance with White House intern
Monica Lewinsky.
Clinton’s ability to recover from setbacks during his years in
Arkansas politics won him the nickname “The Come-Back Kid.”
Time will tell if Clinton is able to re-invent himself out of office,
as Carter did. Certainly Clinton has the talent and the drive to
do so. Whether he has the requisite integrity—a quality that
transcends traditional notions of propriety—remains to be seen.
It is still early in the process of determining what went wrong
with the two-term presidency of George W. Bush. The psycho-
analytically inclined tend to look for answers in the younger
Bush’s ambivalent feelings toward his powerful father. But no
amount of armchair psychiatry can account for the speed with
which Bush 43 managed to create an American presidency of
unprecedented opacity and disdain for some of the nation’s
most cherished principles. When W. first took office, there was
hope that he would undergo a Shakespearean transformation
and grow into the presidency—that he would evolve from a fun-
loving, Texas-style Prince Hal into an American Henry V. It was
not to be, and the nation suffered mightily for it.
Like Clinton, W. represented a new generation of leaders
whose crucible was not World War II but the more ambiguous
proving-ground of the 1960s and early ’70s, with their sex, drugs,
rock ‘n’ roll, and mistrust of authority. The history-making
election of Barack Obama marks another profound generational
change. Conservative commentator David Brooks points out
On Becoming a Leader