BILL CLINTON'S DISGRACEFUL DEPARTURE

My desire finally to follow the Clinton admonition "just to move on" is outweighed by my obligation to comment on the distasteful nature with which Clinton handled his last days in office.

When taking office and pledging to lead the most ethical administration in history, Clinton issued an executive order extending from one to five years the prohibition on administration officials becoming paid lobbyists after retiring from government service. But, shortly before relinquishing the presidential reins, he revoked the order when it could no longer serve his political purposes.

Anxious to secure for himself a legacy as the most environmentally friendly president, Clinton issued a spate of liberty-choking executive orders right up to the final hours of his tenure. In the last week he established six additional national monuments, thereby confiscating over a million more acres of property for the rapacious federal government.

What about Clinton's deal with independent counsel Robert Ray in exchange for no criminal indictment and surrendering his law license for five years?

We now know that the statement Ray extracted from Clinton had been the subject of intense negotiations for more than a year. It was only announced at the last minute to allow both sides to avoid embarrassment.

But the worst of Clinton's last-minute excesses were his unconscionable pardons. Sending the nation one last flip-off, Clinton nepotistically pardoned his brother, Roger. Amazingly, ABC's Cokie Roberts reacted, "If you can't help your family, who can you help?"

Clinton also granted clemency to Whitewater co-conspirator Susan McDougal. If you can't exonerate your partners in crime, whom can you exonerate?

And, he pardoned Marc Rich, who fled to Switzerland in 1983 to escape a 65-count federal indictment for tax fraud, racketeering and tax evasion charges (maximum sentence: 325 years in jail). He never served a day in jail, but his wife, Denise Rich, contributed almost $1.3 million to Bill's, Hillary's and Al's campaigns and other Democratic causes. If you can't repay your political friends, whom can you repay?

Clinton gave himself one last pat on the back as he was indulging in one last farewell speech after Bush was sworn in: He intoned repeatedly, "We did a lotta good."

No argument from Roger, Susan and Marc.

~David Limbaugh is a Cape Girardeau lawyer.