I know this is late, but I was traveling a lot. I was rereading some commentary and analysis from Obama’s Berlin speech yesterday and it reminded me of a gripe I had. And, as we all know, the Corner is a veritable nullentropy bin when it comes to the shelf life of gripes.

Anyway, did anyone else notice how as the hype was building toward Obama’s Berlin speech, people started adding Clinton to the mix of great presidential speakers at Bradenburg gate? A typical line from the London Telegraph: “A visit to the Brandenburg Gate would see him follow in the footsteps of presidents John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.”

I have a question for you. Without googling, can you think of anything historic, memorable or important that Bill Clinton said in his Berlin speech? Maybe some of you who spend your spare time lighting votive candles around his shrine can, but I’d bet 99% of normal people can’t.

And it struck me: that’s probably the case of his whole presidency. Besides “the Era of Big Government is Over” — which was both a lie in retrospect and really more of a complaint at the time, what famous lines will endure from Clinton’s presidency, other than the ones having to do with his pants problems? I’m sure there’s something, but I can’t think of any and my guess most people can’t either.

Update: From a reader:

What positive lines emanate from any Presidency, excpet the really exceptional ones? Name some from either of the Bushes, or Carter, or Ford, or Nixon, or LBJ. You wrote that “…people started adding Clinton to the mix of great presidential speakers at Bradenburg gate?” No they didn’t–you did. The Telegraph article didn’t include ‘great’; it just listed presidents who had spoken at the gate.

Me: I basically agree with the first part. Though I remember, off the top of my head, “thousand points of light,” and “more will than wallet,” from poppa Bush (though without much fondness for the former). From Carter, there was that bit about having no “inordinate fear” of communism. Ford: Poland is free! Nixon: “I am not a crook!” and a few other things, I’d guess. LBJ: that bit about not seeking or accepting the nomination. In other words, the reader’s right that only the great ones are memorable for saying great things. As for the second part of the email, I’m not so sure. I’m working from memory far more than that one Telegraph piece I posted as an example. And often the talk of the “great” speeches by Reagan and JFK were interspersed with the mentions of Clinton who merely gave “a speech.” I stand by what I wrote.