Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: Library sheds light

Friday, Nov. 19, 2004 | 4:56 a.m.

Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

WEEKEND EDITION

November 20 - 21, 2004

It was a wet, warm and wonderful day.

The dedication of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library last Thursday was a day that will be long remembered in Little Rock, Ark. It marked the beginning of what most Arkansans believe will be an economic and educational rejuvenation of the state that gave birth to the 42nd president of the United States. It also represents the kind of hope for the future that was the hallmark of President Clinton's eight years in the White House.

As I sat in the rain along with close to 30,000 other Americans and foreign dignitaries who came to witness the opening ceremonies for the newest of 12 presidential libraries, I couldn't help wondering two very important things. First, what was I doing in Little Rock, drenched and covered in a plastic poncho, hoping against hope that the skies would clear and, miraculously, the sun would shine brightly on the beginning of an illuminating future for the library and its closely aligned Clinton Foundation.

For those of you who watched from beginning to end, you know that the sun was a no-show that day and the rain never stopped. The answer, of course, to that question is simple. There is no other place we could have been. We were there at the beginning -- not unlike his fellow Arkansans who were really there at the start and all the way through his remarkable life of public service -- so we had to be there for the next step in the journey of that man from Hope.

It is not often Americans have the opportunity to follow the great ones through their careers in public service. And just like the friends who followed President Ronald Reagan and those who have followed President George H.W. Bush through their post-White House days, there must be no quit in us. That's where the fun is and that is where we can help give back, no matter how indirect that help may appear.

The second thought that struck me came as I listened to former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush share their thoughts about what it is like to be a former leader of the United States and, by extension, the known world, was that there is a time and place for politics but that place should never be when former and present presidents gather to do the real work for the future of this country.

In each of their thoughts, there was humor, there was humility and there was a sense that the man they had come to honor was deserving, as they knew they were, of a special place in history and the future -- through the work of the library -- of this great country. And, perhaps, the most surprising of speeches came from our current president, George W. Bush, who is not particularly known for his great oratory, but on that day gave a talk of great meaning and substance. In it there was no swagger, there was no arrogance and there was no plain talk for only some Americans.

Perhaps the real George W. Bush came out on that rain-drenched stage when he spoke of family and friends and public service, and when he talked about the dedication, determination and intellectual capacity of the man who preceded him. He spoke about President Clinton the way, I suppose, he would want his successor to talk about him -- honestly and without political overtones.

I guess the short version of this message is that it was refreshing and hopeful to see men of differing political persuasion and opinion share the same stage with the same message. It was a lesson in civility -- for however long it lasted -- that should be the first lesson of the Clinton Library. People of good will can disagree but still be respectful. That message has been lost, or at least well-hidden, in recent elections.

The ceremony itself featured real American stories and how the actions of President Clinton affected their lives. They were symbolic of so many people who are touched by the decisions elected officials make.

One story came from a police chief who was buried under crime reports of gang and drug activity that threatened the very fabric of his city. He lacked the manpower to do anything other than watch the bad guys win while the law-abiding citizens had to take it on the chin. President Clinton understood his plight and that of so many other law enforcement agencies across the country and provided the leadership that resulted in 100,000 new policemen on the streets of our cities. The chief's city was saved and now prospers because he got to hire more than 100 new officers. Men and women who made a difference.

There was another gentleman who spoke about the Family and Medical Leave Act, one of the more controversial pieces of legislation passed during Clinton's first term. Hailed as a job killer by those opposed to allowing mothers and fathers to take unpaid leave from their jobs to care for a sick child or parent or for some other family emergency, it resulted in millions of Americans being able to be with those who needed them when they needed them most.

In this case, a little girl was dying from cancer and there was little time left. Her father was able to be with her constantly during the last weeks of her life and even was able to help her fulfill the dream of her young life -- to meet the president of the United States. She met President Clinton on a Sunday morning and her father was by her side. She died just a few days later.

Politics and policies have consequences for regular Americans. If there was ever doubt about that law before, there can be none now. No jobs were lost and millions of Americans were able to value their families when the time came. These and thousands of other stories are in that library just waiting for Americans, today and in the future, to learn from them.

As President Clinton says, there are 80,000 artifacts, 80 million pages of documents, 21 million e-mails -- of which two are his -- and 2 million photographs. All of which are contained within a presidential library that broke the mold for architecture and style. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told us last Thursday that the library is just like her husband. It is open, welcoming and full of light. He has always been open to his fellow Americans, to their stories and to their problems. He has always been welcoming, to people from all walks of life, regardless of their social status, their wealth, their political philosophies or the color of their skin.

And his presidency was full of light. It was based upon the light of knowledge and the intellectual capacity to use that knowledge to make the kind of decisions that made life better for millions and millions of Americans. The whole story of the Clinton presidency is there -- in Little Rock -- for generations to see and learn from what it teaches. Those who walk within its walls and see what he was able to accomplish, those who study the lessons of the past and apply them to the challenges in their own lives, and those who learn from his mistakes and improve upon his successes will have made his library the worthwhile endeavor for which he has worked so hard.

The William J. Clinton Presidential Library was built to resemble and will be -- through all that it will do -- that bridge to and through the 21st century. It is a bridge of knowledge upon which generations of Americans will be able to travel.

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