Bill

It took a while--twelve years actually--but we're finally going to have a Democrat in the White House come January. It's about time. Us college-age types have lived through the reign of only one other Democratic president, and childhood memories of his hapless administration are faint. Since Carter's well-meaning but incompetent four years, Republicans have achieved the inconceivable goal of both ruining America and convincing American voters that things are peachy. They've done all this, of course, with political masterminds like Roger Ailes and Jim Baker, campaigns that divide America by race, sex, religion, and sexual orientation, and that old GOP mainstay--lies. These days of Republican social division and deception, thankfully, are finally gone. But Bill Clinton's plans for the country, though they come from a man who seems to have the right priorities, are sometimes wildly optimistic (his projections for economic growth) and sometimes just plain wrong (his inexplicable penchant for the death penalty). Clearly, Bill Clinton is no Tom Harkin, and he's no Mario Cuomo. But he's no George Bush either. And that's why we should be celebrating. Bill has proven himself as a leader who has both principles and political skills. That combination--together with a Democratic Congress newly invigorated with women and minorities--should give us reason for hope.