August 15, 2002
From the desk of Jane Galt:It's one of those things
It's one of those things that makes you smack your eyes repeatedly because you can't believe what you just read: President Clinton is a better person than President Bush because. . . he cheats at golf.
Some might prefer that to the Clinton approach of dispensing presidential pardons to many an errant shot, the better to claim scores in the middle 80s. "If you're the president," one aide memorably observed, "you can hit as many balls as you like." (You can also take as many clubs as you like, and Clinton, a man who preferred options to hard choices, liked to carry more than the regulation 14.)Certainly there is much to be said for presidents playing by the rules, especially off the course. But there is also something to admire in Clinton's undisciplined enthusiasm for what is, after all, a game -- and for his placing top priority on making sure everyone on the course, including himself, was having fun for a full five hours or so. By the same token there is cause for concern in his successor's seeming regard for golf as a chore to be crossed off the list as quickly as possible.
Golf is a game especially suited to loosening up, calming down and enjoying the company of friends in a leisurely landscape. Played this way, it can't help but offer relaxation -- and surely this president, like all presidents, could use more of that.
Oh, I see. He wasn't trying to lower his score, just trying to make sure everyone else enjoyed themselves. Because there's nothing for having fun on the golf course like playing with someone who cheats. Posted by Jane Galt at August 15, 2002 8:40 AM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound links