In previous posts, I opined that what people call “character” is not indivisible; that “character” is only an issue to the extent that the individual in question is an embarrassment to the public, or cannot do his job properly; that it is a mistake to “believe women” in all cases, including Biden’s; and that even if the Reade allegations were true, they did not meet the standard for disqualification, particularly considering the quality of the alternative. Biden has now firmly denied the allegations, and I will make no further comment on that score. But what about Bill Clinton? Did he meet the standard?
Once Clinton had been re-elected, the embarrassment standard was superseded by the constitutional “high crimes and misdemeanor” test. Arguably lying under oath about sex in a private lawsuit was a “low crime and misdemeanor” that, in my opinion, did not meet the test. Prior to the election, however, the standard was very much in play. I think Clinton’s behavior did, in fact, make it difficult for him to represent the country properly. That’s a big reason why I voted for Dole in 1996.