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President Clinton's Legacy: Clinton may be his own worse enemy.

© Frank Monaldo

``The difference between a politician and a statesman is: a politician thinks of the next election and a statesman thinks of the next generation.'' — James Freeman Clarke.

Great times call for great leaders. We remember Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Churchill, because they called upon the best in their peoples during times of war or economic distress. It may be fortunate for the country that there is no immediately pressing crisis, but the chance for a leader to create a memorable legacy is considerably diminished.

Nonetheless, it is still possible for courageous leadership to nudge and push the country to appropriate directions. Just as the small twist of the wrist can mean the difference between a missed pitch and a home run, over the long run small deflections may move the country into profoundly better and different directions. The mover may not be remembered, but consequences will be.

In the most recent Washington Post/ABC poll, President Clinton enjoyed a 64% approval rating, higher than when he was elected. In his State of the Union Speech the President asserted, ``I really believe one of the reasons the American people gave me a second term was to take the tough decisions in the next four years that will carry our country through the next fifty years.'' The President has a substantial store of political capital, but apparently a reluctance to use it.

Last year, the GOP withstood a rhetorical assault from Democrats for attempting to reform Medicare. Quietly, the Republican-controlled Senate and the House have this year produced new Medicare reform proposals essentially identical in magnitude and in scope to last year's bill. Democrats in Congress could have stopped or at least slowed passage. They chose not to. There is always the faithful remnant of the Left whose internal neural system is hardwired to automatically object to changes that do not increase spending fast enough in any entitlement program. Among the serious, however, there is a consensus that some modest modifications of Medicare are required.

The President can accept and even embrace and claim credit for reforming Medicare. He could set the stage for meaningful long-term Medicare and Social Security reform that would ensure the sustainability of those two systems. He could think of the next generation rather than the next election. Or... He could gain immediate political advantage by portraying the reforms as the product of a sinister extremist Republican Congress. He could engage in moral posturing about caring.