As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton schemed to subvert record-keeping and transparency rules for reasons that are probably more or less communicated by her surname: The Clintons are creeps and liars and scoundrels and misfits, always have been, always will be. They are the penicillin-resistant syphilis of American politics.If so, Americans must love them some syphilis. After all, Hillary Clinton leads all of her potential Republican rivals, and not just because her experience as a cabinet member and senator who very nearly won the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Just as important, Americans remember President Bill Clinton's tenure as one of peace and prosperity that delivered 22 million new jobs in the longest and largest economic expansion in modern U.S. history. It's no wonder he left office with a 65 percent approval rating.
In sharp contrast, the Bush clan—our other political dynasty—is like the Ebola virus of American politics. Their recurrent outbreaks are deadly, and the damage lasts long afterwards. The Bush presidential legacy is economic recession, sectarian carnage in the Middle East, and corruption in Washington. As with Ebola, there is no cure for Bush in the White House: we can only try to prevent it from taking root in the first place.
Consider the economic performance of Presidents Bush 41 and Bush 43, below.