Well, at least he can laugh

In the sort of friendly, joking piece that George Bush will never see in a million years, the Associated Press reports that Bill Clinton can laugh at some of the headline-generating controversies he's been involved in.

What great news that is! I'm glad he hasn't taken it too seriously that he was impeached for perjury, failed to address the insolvency of our major entitlement programs, rejected Osama Bin Laden when he was handed up on a silver platter, or did nothing of substance to fight Al Qaeda, even as he regarded terrorism as a threat on par with the Cold War. (For more on this, look at Richard Clarke's account of Clinton's inaction in Against All Enemies).

And even as he demonstrates that he can rise above these trying times, he offers sage advice like "In this interdependent world, we should still have a preference for peace over war." Well, thanks for that. It's a powerful argument against those among us who opt for needless war.

The AP also lets us know that this sage said "anytime somebody said in my presidency, 'If you don't do this people will think you're weak,' I always asked the same question for eight years: "Can we kill 'em tomorrow?"

Who did Clinton pick to advise him? Did he really hear this phrase all that much? If any of his braintrust found more than a few occasions where the image of strength was the deciding factor - rather than the military objective at hand - I would be very worried about their worldview.