1/25/01 4:10 p.m.
I Beg Your Pardon
The Clintons exit in style.

By Robert A. George, an editorial page writer
for the New York Post------------------------------------RAGGEDmail@aol.com

or the last eight years, Americans had to endure a split-personality executive branch: Arguable accomplishments and the occasional bipartisan bit of policy existed side-by-side with scandalous behavior that brought shame upon the institution of the presidency.

For at least the first week of the Bush administration, that bifurcation is only slightly alleviated. Bill Clinton is gone, but unfortunately not forgotten. In the words of the Bard, "the evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones." There may have been some good coming out of the Clinton administration, but the nation, New York State and the institution of the presidency itself is still suffering a major hangover.

Roderick Boyd wrote yesterday on NRO about the outrageousness of Clinton pardoning financier Marc Rich. A slightly less-reported story nationally involves how Hillary Clinton apparently stole about 1,500 votes from a small Hasidic Jewish community. Representatives from the village of New Square in Rockland County, New York approached the then-Senate candidate for a pardon of four residents serving jail time for ripping off millions of federal dollars. The conviction happened barely two years ago in 1999. Mrs. Clinton says that she met with the New Square rebbes after the election. Nearly everyone else says the meeting came beforehand.

Who to believe?

Now, as one might expect, New Square is something of a conservative community. In the past, the village has tended to vote 90 percent Republican. In fact, the similar communities around it voted overwhelmingly for Rick Lazio in November. Strangely enough though, as the New York Post reported Wednesday, New Square voted for Hillary 1,359 to 10.

Now, none of this should come as a surprise of course. Remember that just as Senator Clinton's campaign was gearing up in late 1999, the president chose give clemency to members of the notorious FALN Puerto Rican terrorist organization. This was a group whose were guilty of several bombings — fatal in some cases — around the country back in the 1970s. Several law-enforcement organizations (not least of which, Louis Freeh's FBI), advised against the clemency deal. Not surprisingly, the White House went ahead.

In that case, the surmise was that by getting the FALN out of jail, the Puerto Rican leadership would be assured of getting out the vote for Hillary in November 2000. It seems that a similar quid pro quo was in effect for the New Square Hasidim. At first glance, it seems that the Puerto Ricans held out for a better deal. They made sure their guys got out before the election. Then again, they had been behind bars for a lot longer time. On top of that, everyone expects the Puerto Rican community to vote overwhelmingly Democrat. While, Jews tend to vote overwhelmingly for Democrats — especially in New York, Republicans can be competitive. Hillary was regularly having difficulty with the Jewish vote during her campaign. Pardoning the New Square residents before the election would have raised a few eyebrows — to say the least.

But, now, the deed has been done.

The Clintons depart in grand style: Gifts from friends were solicited just before they left the White House (and before Senate ethics rules kick in for Mrs. Clinton); their underlings trash the place to make it as difficult as possible for their successors to do the people's work; and like every other rule, the president's power to pardon is abused in the extreme — apparently for the explicit quid pro quo purchasing of votes.

Once again, it can be said — they got away with it.

Hang on, folks, expect more and more revelations in the months and years to come. This hangover will last a while.