House Editorial: Time to stop pointless presidential finger-pointing
Clinton and Bush should not have the time for a media slap-fight
Posted on September 28, 2006

For the benefit of those who are not addicted to news headlines, or YouTube.com’s most watched clips, our politicians have been playing preschool again.

On “Fox News Sunday,” President Clinton fielded a question by Chris Wallace regarding his culpability in the Sept. 11 attacks, seeing as he was the long-term occupant of the White House a scant eight months before. But the former president apparently has a soft spot there — for all intents and purposes, Clinton lost it. No jumping on couches or folding-chair fights, unfortunately, but he and his crooked pointer finger violated Wallace’s personal bubble and gave him a stern chastising he won’t soon forget.

Of course, Clinton also turned it around. “But at least I tried,” Clinton declared. “That’s the difference in me and some, including all the right-wingers who are attacking me now. They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try. They did not try. I tried.”

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice responded to Clinton’s deflection the very next day. “What we did in the eight months was at least aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding years,” Rice stated.

The day after that it was Sen. Hillary Clinton’s turn. “I think my husband did a great job in demonstrating that Democrats are not going to take these attacks,” she retorted.

And then the man himself, President Bush, was cajoled into the ring during a press conference. “We’ll let history judge all the different finger-pointing and all that business,” he rejoined. “I don’t have enough time to finger-point.”

On the one hand, all this drama has removed the need to turn into primetime dramas. There is enough back-and-forth banter to keep even the most juvenile spectator entertained. If Rupert Murdoch could somehow figure out how to throw Flava Flav and Tonya Harding into the mix, he could have the next season of Fox’s “Celebrity Boxing” ready to go.

On the other hand, all of these individuals should have more pressing tasks at hand than showing up each other. Lest we forget, there is still a gaping hole in downtown Manhattan, there is still a war in Iraq, and there is still a bin Laden to “manage.” Bill Clinton’s office is in Harlem, Hillary Clinton represents New York in the Senate, Condi Rice has the international community and George Bush has the White House. Whether it be international relationships, a war on terror or a construction project in New York City, these people should be building, not bitching. We’re not paying them our tax dollars to throw sand.