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Editorials
Friday, January 28, 2000State of the Union
was vintage ClintonTHE amazingly resilient Bill Clinton gave a characteristically upbeat performance last night in delivering the State of the Union address to launch the final year of his beleaguered presidency.The issue: President Clinton gave an upbeat State of the Union address to launch the last year of his presidency.
Clinton made a speech of marathon length -- some 90 minutes -- detailing a seemingly endless number of legislative initiatives.
Its ambitious breadth and detail might have been appropriate for a speech at the beginning of the president's administration rather than its closing phase. He made it clear that he will spend this last year in office fighting to the last for his programs -- and to establish a legacy of achievement. But the prospects for success with the Republican Congress are dim.
Clinton declared America "is the strongest it has ever been," and with the strength of the economy and the absence of any major threat to national security he may be right. How much credit he deserves for this is of course a matter of debate. But to hear him talk, it's all a result of his policies.
The presence of Vice President Gore, seated behind Clinton, and Hillary Clinton in the gallery -- he seeking to succeed him and she an all-but-declared candidate for the Senate -- served as reminders that Americans are already involved in the process of choosing new leaders. The spotlight has started to shift away from the incumbent.
Yet the president made the most of his last opportunity to set the national agenda. Although his presidency is still in the shadow of the Lewinsky scandal and the impeachment battle, he spoke as if nothing of the sort had happened.
However, that tawdry affair has left its scars on Washington. Clinton's legislative program went nowhere last year in the Republican Congress. The biggest development was probably the Senate's rejection of the nuclear test ban treaty, a humiliating rebuff.
Possibly the atmosphere will improve this year as the impeachment conflict recedes into history. Congressional Republicans probably feel a need to produce some accomplishments for the voters in November as they seek re-election.
But they will have their own programs and will be unlikely to show much interest in accommodating Clinton's. However, House Speaker Dennis Hastert seems to be willing to soften the partisan tone of the Republican leadership, which could lead to modest results.
The president's proposals on gun control, health insurance and education have considerable merit. Including prescription drugs in the Medicare program is a popular idea that the Republicans will find difficult to reject.
Clinton's plan to use the budget surplus to pay down the national debt rather than pass an enormous tax cut is sound. Of course he has his own tax-cut ideas, but they wouldn't be as expensive as the Republican plan.
However, the vast number of new initiatives he offered suggested that he has forgotten the idea of shrinking the federal government. And one wonders how the predicted surplus could be achieved if all these programs were adopted, which won't happen.
Clinton's disgraceful behavior and lies have cost him credibility on Capitol Hill and in the nation beyond. No matter how confidently he conducts himself, his presidency is crippled and his ability to deal with Congress has been badly weakened. No amount of applause and cheers for this speech altered that fact.
Whoever is elected to the presidency in November, there will be many sighs of relief on both sides of the aisle when Bill Clinton leaves office.
DANIEL Kihano, who died Wednesday at 66, was a modest, amiable fellow who served in the state House of Representatives for 22 years, representing the Waipahu-Crestview district. Kihano rose to the top position of speaker and held the post for five years. His popularity with his colleagues helped make him an effective leader. Daniel Kihano
Upon his retirement from the Legislature in 1992, Kihano encountered financial problems and resorted to using surplus money in his campaign fund for personal expenses.
He was convicted on 15 federal felony counts of wire and mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to obstruct justice and witness tampering. Sentenced to two years in prison, he was granted early release last May after suffering a heart attack.
Kihano's financial problems stemmed from bad investments. In addition, he may have expected to secure a high-level appointment in state government to allow him to boost his pension through the "high-three" system, which has since been abolished. The appointment never materialized.
After leaving the House, he served briefly with the state Convention Center Authority and the Honolulu city administration under first Frank Fasi and then Jeremy Harris.
Kihano became an example of the danger of succumbing to temptations provided by the existence of unused campaign contributions. The law does not permit these funds to be used for any other purpose than campaigning.
Kihano's former colleague, Rep. Joe Souki, called his legal problems a tragedy that marred a distinguished career in public office, one marked by sympathy for the needs of the poor. It was an unfortunate end for a respected legislator.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
