ng Clinton's scandal-ridden past.
             While it is too early to accurately judge the presidency of Bill Clinton, most would agree that he was successful in office. He was the first democrat to successfully be reelected since Franklin Roosevelt. Yet, when a sufficient amount of time has passed and historians attempt to categorize and analyze Bill Clinton's presidency, his legacy will ultimately be tied to scandal. The numerous scandals that Clinton faced - and survived -were an important aspect of the Clinton presidency. On one hand, they showed the well-documented weakness of Clinton's personal character - his infidelities, his evasiveness, and his lack of integrity. Yet, Clinton's ability to survive these scandals are a true testament how politically cunning and brilliant the man was.
             In examining the political life of Bill Clinton, five major scandals stick out: his draft record; Gennifer Flowers and Infidelity; the Marijuana controversy; Whitewater; the Lewinsky Affair. Any one of these scandals could easily - and have on numerous occasions- ruin a political career. Yet, in each of these episodes Clinton was unusually adept at surviving and restoring his image.
             The importance of illustrating Clinton's past encounters with scandal is not to show the moral weakness of Clinton's character; nor is it to show cagey moves of a political mastermind. Rather, I have illustrated Clinton's past to show how it has affected our three main actors: the President, the media, and the public. If Bill Clinton had been a shining example of virtue and integrity, if his office had never been associated with scandal or unprepared in the art of damage-control, if the media could easily dismiss such claims,-essentially, if Bill Clinton was not Bill Clinton, the Lewinsky affair would have transpired much differently. All three actor's response to the Lewinsky affair is directly affected by the previous scandals of the Clinton Presidency.
             Th...