In 1988 writer Gary Sick published a book entitled "The October Surprise" in which he alleged that a series of back room political bargains between the Reagan Presidential campaign and the government of Iran led to the Inauguration Day release of fifty-two American hostages who had languished in captivity for 444 days. Contrary to Mr. Sick's elaborate theory, grand announcements of all varieties are typical Inaugural events. Consider these notable Inaugural season coincidences:
1861: Abraham Lincoln takes the Oath of Office; the southern states declare the Confederacy.
1901: William McKinley takes the Oath of Office; the government of Imperial China announces the end of the "Boxer Rebellion".
1941: Franklin Roosevelt takes the Oath of Office for the third time; Adolf Hitler finalizes the plans to invade Soviet Russia.
1981: Ronald Reagan takes the Oath of Office; the hostages in Iran are freed.
1993: Bill Clinton takes the Oath of Office; Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announces that United Nations weapons inspectors will be denied access to suspected nuclear weapons producing facilities.
2001: George W. Bush takes the Oath of Office; Israelis and Palestinians promise to resume peace negotiations.
This latest news from the Middle East is likely not the result of any back room deals. Like the Clinton administration, the Bush campaign has issued all the typical trite and inherently contradictory statements such as: "We are neutral participants" and "We are friends of Israel". The announcement is instead the first of many signs that world leaders are relieved that Bill Clinton - after his seemingly endless farewells finally concluded - has left the stage. No doubt the man who is as addicted to television cameras and publicity as he is to inappropriate relationships with employees will return to make his views known, but henceforth his views will be irrelevant to the progress of statecraft.
'Cornerstone of Democracy''
The awkwardness and shallowness of the prolonged scene at Andrews Air Force base Saturday afternoon was in a rather odd sort of way exactly what everyone expected from Bill Clinton. For months jokes have circulated that he would be dragged from office with the drapes, clinging to the door latch, or with the last bag of garbage. The I-will-not-leave-here attitude of Mr. Clinton was anticipated, but when it happened, it did not seem quite real. His comment that "I left the White House, but I'm still here" sounded more like the set-up line for late night talk show comedians than the parting reflections of an ex-President who should have been extolling the peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another. For during the very hours Mr. Clinton lingered at Andrews Air Force base, a less than peaceful transfer of power from President to vice-President began in the Philippines.
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