THE LAST DAY: CLINTON'S FINAL WHIRLWIND

Bill Clinton ascended to the presidency in 1993 with a pledge to lead the most ethical administration in U.S. history. We all know what happened after that.

We are not sorry to see him move on, and we do not wish to dwell on all his flaws. But it is impossible to ignore his final acts in office.

First among his last-day transgressions was his pardoning of political cronies and the friends of wealthy campaign donors.

By now, most people have heard about his pardon of a shadowy commodities trader, Marc Rich, who fled to Switzerland 17 years ago after being charged with tax fraud and illegal trading with Iran, for which he profited handsomely. Rich owed the United States more than $50 million in taxes, not to mention tens of millions more in potential penalties, at the time he fled criminal charges.

Did Clinton's pardon have anything to do with the more than $3.5 million Rich's ex-wife raised for his re-election campaign (more than $1 million of her own money)?

No one -- not one Democrat or reporter in Washington -- disputes it. Simply, they say, the pardon is indefensible.

But the stunning aspect about Clinton's pardons is that pardoning a man who never paid a price for his crime was only one of many indefensible cases.

Even The New York Times, no friend to Clinton's opponents, described his actions as "a shocking abuse of presidential power."

The Times singles out Rich and then goes on to chronicle several other troubling cases:

"A broader look at Mr. Clinton's final pardon list makes clear that the outrage extends well beyond the undeserved leniency for Mr. Rich," says the newspaper.

As was his practice throughout his presidency, Clinton overwhelms his critics by making his transgressions so large and so many that they are either impossible to grasp or they are unbelievable, although real and true they are.

His final day as president provided another one of these stunning transgressions.

In his plea bargain with the special counsel to avoid federal indictment after leaving office, Clinton admitted to misleading the American judicial system while president:

"I tried to walk a line between acting lawfully and testifying falsely, but I now recognize I did not fully accomplish this goal."

Think about the words.

"I tried to walk a line between acting lawfully and testifying falsely, but I now recognize I did not fully accomplish this goal."

Our hope is the future of the country will be filled with leaders who recognize there is no walkable line between right and wrong.

Bill Clinton just never seemed to understand this, and his presidency was diminished because of it.

Our nation's stature has been diminished too.