was the result of other factors. In fact, they blame his policies for the financial crisis that began in 2007. They point to his impeachment by Congress and his
failure to pass universal health care coverage as further evidence that he was not a good president.
Clinton left office with the highest end-of-office approval rating of any U.S. president since World War II. Since then, he has been involved in public speaking
and humanitarian work. Based on his philanthropic worldview, Clinton created the William J. Clinton Foundation to promote and address international causes such as
prevention of AIDS and global warming.
b. The Summary of William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton’s Apologia
1 I Misled
At that time, August 17, 1998, he acknowledged having had an inappropriate affair with Ms. Lewinsky. But he also harshly attacked the
independent counsel in the grand jury for mounting a four-year investigation of the president. That, said political opponents and some supporters, showed a
failure by Mr. Clinton to accept fully that the fault was his and that blame could not be placed elsewhere. The speech was considered insincere enough to
apologise for the action he did.
2 I Have Sinned
President Bill Clinton declared sombrely on September 11, 1998 that I have sinned, for having an affair with Monica Lewinsky. President Clinton
apologised to everyone including Monica‘s family — that it brought a group of clergymen to their feet.
It is a piece of hand-written speech sending a message to the people that he is sorry for everything he did to his country and his family.
In slow, measured words, he added: I dont think theres a fancy way to say that I have sinned. It is important to me that everyone who has been hurt
know that the sorrow I feel is genuine — first and most important, my family,
my friends, my staff, my cabinet, Monica Lewinsky and her family, and the American people. I have asked all for their forgiveness.
He also used rhetorical questions, parallelism, and repetition to make the audience think about what they already know. In many ways, the speech
included all the touchstones and evident contriteness that some advisers hoped would be in his August 17, 1998 address to the nation.
c. The Meaning of Presidential Scandals in American Life
America has gone through three eras in which presidential scandals have been part of the national political dialogue. In the era of the Civil War, it was
characterized by a gossip-mongering and highly partisan colonial and early 19
th
century press. In the decades through World War II, the American media played down if not hid most of the scandalous conduct of the presidents.
However, propelled by the 1960s cultural revolution, the sex scandals of American politicians, celebrities and other social worthies became the cannon
fodder of a headline-hungry media. Kennedy and Clinton, for instance, presidential sex scandals went from a media-hidden indulgence to an impeachable
offense. Each year on Presidents‘ Day, a clean-up squad of Public Relation hacks,
academics and media pundits is enrolled to white-wash the public record of America‘s great leaders.
However, the sexual exploits of Clinton and Kennedy define the post- modern media era as both were notorious philanderers. Clinton‘s trysts with
Monica Lewinsky, Jennifer Flowers, Juanita Broaddrick and who knows how
many others became a national scandal. John Kennedy‘s affairs with Marilyn Monroe and Angie Dickinson; Inga Arvad, a Danish journalist; and others, have
moved from scandal to presidential lore. This seems surprising for the leaders of the powerful nation to have
misconduct of their moral values. However, if we have to look at the core of the state‘s values, which is a liberal-democratic system; a system that upholds the
essence of rights and liberty for all mankind, then we may not be surprising to see many scandals from all the time. United States of America has many scandals
involving politicians, celebrities, and other important positions socially. Moreover, it becomes cultural attitude of the society. However, the case of a president having
misconduct, it seems intolerable because as the one who has the highest hierarchy in the state, he or she has to be the role model for the society. Thus, if there is
immoral attitude done by him or her, certain steps has to be conducted to face the scandal, for example how to apologise to the nation for not fulfilling the obligation
of being a role model for the society, how to give testimony to the grand jury, undergoing investigation, clarifying to the Senate, and many more.
d. The Audience’s Comments about First and Second Apologia
