At unveiling of Clinton portrait, a picture of political civility

President Bush hailed his predecessor's 'forward-looking spirit.'
LOS ANGELES TIMES
WASHINGTON -- Taking a break from the bitter politics of the campaign trail, a gracious and jocular President Bush offered rare praise for his predecessor at the unveiling of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton's official White House portraits.
A crowd of more than 200 Clinton friends, family and former administration members gathered in the elegant East Room for the ceremony Monday, where a beaming Bush told the Clintons: "Welcome home." He lauded Clinton for embodying "the forward-looking spirit the Americans like in a president," and for having "filled this house with energy and joy."
Clinton laughed out loud when Bush, after praising the former president's optimism, deadpanned: "You've got to be optimistic to give six months of your life running the McGovern campaign in Texas," a reference to the failed 1972 presidential campaign of Sen. George S. McGovern, D-S.D.
Clinton's return to the White House at Bush's invitation, the former president said, "has proved once again that, in the end, we are held together by this grand system of ours -- and most of the time, we get it right."
Previous clashes
The televised ceremony brought an unusual moment of political civility into the living rooms of Americans, who are far more used to the bare-knuckle exchanges that often typify the nation's political discourse. It was all the more unusual, given the two leaders' history.
It was Clinton, the former Arkansas governor and attorney general, who in 1992 dashed the re-election dreams of Bush's father, George H.W. Bush. And the current President Bush came to office in 2000 pledging "to restore honor and dignity" to the presidency after Clinton's scandal-plagued tenure -- after an election that some Democrats to this day insist he stole from Clinton's vice president, Al Gore.
The ceremony came as Clinton has stepped back onto the national stage to promote his soon-to-be-released autobiography and to campaign for Bush's presumptive Democratic rival, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry. Clinton still energizes Democrats who adore him -- and Republicans who despise him.
But none of that personal baggage was in evidence Monday.
Bush recalled Clinton's humble beginnings, his drive and his ambition, saying, "Bill Clinton could always see a better day ahead, and Americans knew he was working hard to bring that day closer.
"Over eight years, it was clear that Bill Clinton loved the job of the presidency. He filled this house with energy and joy. He's a man of enthusiasm and warmth, who could make a compelling case and effectively advance the causes that drew him to public service."
'Stepping into history'
Clinton, who noted that he and Bush had come together on three occasions in recent days -- the official dedication of the World War II Memorial, President Reagan's state funeral and Monday's portrait unveiling -- acknowledged having "mixed feelings" about returning to the White House. In a dark suit and bright blue tie similar to the one he wore for his official portrait, Clinton said that with the hanging of his portrait in the White House, he felt as if he were "stepping into history."
"In the darkest days" of his presidency, Clinton said -- referring to how he had agonized over whether his 1995 decision to send U.S. troops into Bosnia had been the right one -- he had been comforted by looking at a painting of Theodore Roosevelt.
One important point made Monday, said Jonathan Earle, an associate professor of history at the University of Kansas, was that the office is greater than the person occupying it. "Every time you have politicians whom people consider adversaries up together on a dais, every time we see this civility, it helps our country," Earle said.