“The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding.” – Albert Camus
So, you thought Bill Clinton and his endless silly shenanigans were history? You'd broken out your finest bottle of champagne to celebrate? Think again. William Jefferson Clinton is making one doozie of a come back.
If his recent efforts are any clue, Saviour of the World is at least one possible new title ringing in the ears of the one-time controversial but inexplicably well-loved former United States president. With the first annual meeting of the ambitious Clinton Global Initiative officially getting under way this Fall it appears that good 'ol Bill is finally taking one small step towards ending world poverty, uniting those torn apart by religious tension, and saving the global environment.
Of course, it's possible that all may not be as it seems; as conservative blogger and radio personality Shaun Pierce prophetically observes, “Beneath the surface, there is a deep vein of politics in Clinton's international activities as ex-president.”
It's true that the Clinton Global Initiative may just be the preliminary groundwork for the ultimate power grab, which wouldn't be at all surprising, but you have to admit that the website is very, very pretty. Pass through the gateway of the slick animated introduction, outlining the breath-taking scope of Clinton's global dream (“to help our world move beyond the current state of globalization to a more integrated global community of shared benefits, responsibilities, and values”) into a digital world of stylistic html and java and the oceanic peacefulness of the baby-blue colour scheme.
And at the top of the homepage is a lovely quote attributed to a “William” J. Clinton, which aristocratic nomen causes momentary confusion for the uninitiated. But then it dawns that the name 'William' well suits the dignified portrait of the aged former president in the right hand corner of the screen, certainly much better than the common, curt “Bill”. This is the new, bigger, better Bill…er…William.
“In my life now,” says the dignified portrait, “I am obsessed with only two things: I don't want anyone to die before their time. And I don't want to see good people spend their energies without making a difference.”
If you are able to suppress and initial gag reflex you can't help but feel impressed. Clinton is the grand-master of public-opinion sorcery; with the Clinton Global Initiative he's outdone even himself. Entering into the rapturous dream of the Initiative and the founder's two new-found, self-professed 'obsessions', it's very difficult to remember the old “Bill” Clinton's obsessions with extra-marital sexual liaisons, perjury, driving dangerous witnesses out of the country or into the grave, with bombing the Middle-East, or squeezing out of the most damning positions using whatever means available. It's difficult to remember that this is the man who could poker-facedly question the meaning of the word 'is', or 'alone', when it suited him.
But one thing it's not at all difficult to remember is that Bill, now William J., desperately wants UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's job. It's practically scrawled across his forehead. After all Clinton has lusted after Kofi Annan's position as secretary-general of the UN, the only political position arguably more powerful than the one he held for eight years, ever since the end of his second term in the Oval office. Rumours and political chatter to this effect have circulated for years; in October of last year United Press International reported on Clinton's dream. “He definitely wants to do it,” a “Clinton insider” was reported to have said. “I and many other people would support him,” said the former German chancellor Helmut Khol, opining that Clinton has powerful supporters in Europe.
To this end Clinton has offered himself as a powerful tool to the United Nations and the current secretary-general. A WorldNetDaily story printed in 2003 documented the dramatic shift in Clinton's language from that of a United State president towards that of a UN diplomat. And as the president of Freedom Alliance, Tom Kilgannon, pointed out in February of this year, with Clinton's appointment to the UN as the head of the tsunami relief effort, “Kofi Annan gets the most visible, vocal critic of the U.S., Bill Clinton gets a chance to audition for the world for the role of Secretary-General when Kofi Annan steps down in 2006.” A perfect trade-off.
In order to achieve this lofty ambition Clinton is making his somewhat ridiculous but potentially successful bid to replace Canadian businessman Maurice Strong – the man who penned the infamous “Earth Charter” – as the 'godfather of globalism', or, if you wish, the 'custodian of the planet'. (For info on Strong see: https://iresist.com/cbg/strong.html) This is where the Global Initiative comes into play. The Clinton Foundation has existed for some time already, but with the Global Initiative Bill is upping the ante, taking a firm step over the line into Strong's territory of global environmentalism and pseudo-religious dialogue.
According to the Clinton Global Initiative website the plan is to once a year gather together an elite group of the most powerful and influential world leaders in New York, before the U.N. convenes, to discuss how to solve some of the world's most tangled Gordian knots. Clinton's showcase already includes such luminaries as King Abdullah II of Jordan, French President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Tony Blair, TimeWarner CEO Dick Parsons, Rupert Murdoch of News Corporation and Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz, amongst many others. The model for the convention is the Davos World Economic Forum held annually in Switzerland. But there is a difference, says Clinton: “That's the difference between my meeting and any others. If you don't want to promise to do something, don't come to my meeting. Stay home.”
William J. Clinton wants results.
Just like the quotation that graces the Clinton Initiative's homepage, the goal of the soon-to-be annual convention is noble. This year, according to Clinton, four particular topics will be discussed at the New York convention: “the best methods to reduce poverty; use religion as a force for reconciliation and conflict resolution; implement new business strategies and technologies to combat climate change; and strengthen governance.” Wow. And at the end of the convention each participant will be required to sign a card pledging to do something tangible that will help advance one of the four goals; most of these promises will be enacted during the subsequent UN proceedings. But be careful what you promise, because the Initiative will be checking up on you.
William J. Clinton wants results.
But whatever noble results Clinton's is hunkering after, conservatives and pro-lifers everywhere can be assured that however well-intentioned, Clinton's methods for attaining world peace will be anything but a bouquet of roses. After all, throughout his presidency Clinton actively supported Roe V. Wade, tried to include abortion in a mandatory national health insurance benefits package, twice vetoed bills that tried to ban the barbaric partial-birth abortion procedure, introduced RU-486 in to the U.S., actively advanced the gay 'rights' movement, and handed hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer's money to international population control funds, including International Planned Parenthood. He is what Father Richard Neuhaus called “The Abortion President.” And this is the man who wants to be president of the world.
“You can change the reality of human history by systemic action,” concludes the feature quotation of the dignified gray-haired ex-president, turned hopeful world saviour. And that, perhaps, is the truest thing that William has so far said. And systemic action is something that William has proven he is very, very good at. Bill Clinton is anything but history; he still has a world to save. As Judi McLeod of Canadafreepress pointed out in an article from February of this year, entitled Clinton's magic carpet ride to the UN, “In the Make-Believe World of the United Nations, the sky's always the limit.” It's mad, it's scary, it's asinine, but it's true.