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Vanity Fair‘s “White House Civil War” account of Gore-Clinton spats and slights recalls those heady days when nothing seemed impossible, the President spoke in coherent sentences, and the White House was mired in minutia. When school uniforms walked like men, and V-chips promised to end filth as we knew it.

The piece excerpts from Salley Bedell Smith’s “For Love of Politics—Bill and Hillary Clinton: The White House Years,” following the resource competition between Gore and Hillary Clinton’s 2000 campaigns for President and Senator.

Apparently the fate of the Republic turned on the teen marketing of “Resident Evil,” and whether Al Gore or Hillary Clinton would be credited with denouncing this scourge.

“One of the most dramatic examples occurred in September as the Federal Trade Commission prepared to release a report on violence in the media. The agency’s million-dollar study showed that entertainment companies were marketing violent movies, video games, and music to children under 18. Under ordinary circumstances, a vice president running for the presidency would have first call on publicizing the report. But Hillary insisted she should handle the rollout because she had already called for a universal ratings system. “It was a key point of her Senate campaign,” said Bruce Reed. “The president had singled her out for that in the 2000 State of the Union, so the finding of the F.T.C. was directly relevant to her campaign. The vice president’s campaign had concluded that cultural issues were hurting him, and they were dying to announce the report as well.”

An alternative reading of events might be that the September 11, 2000 [did the Mossad do this one too?] FTC release was a side show. Gore appeared on Oprah to lament kids today, while Bush kept his eye on the ball campaigning. In Florida.

In other news, the article confirms the status of former Clinton and Gore staffer Bob Boorstin as a national resource. His “I find her to be among the most self-righteous people I’ve ever known in my life” quote on Hillary to Carl Bernstein got a lot of play, and in the Vanity Fair piece he tops himself:

“Did we make mistakes? Yes. Would I say that Clinton was the only reason we lost? No. Would I say with absolute zero doubt in my mind that we would have won the election if Clinton hadn’t put his penis in [Lewinsky’s] mouth? Yes. I guarantee it.”

The National first Ladies Library is losing the sugar daddy who brings in four-fifths of it’s income. The Library is based in a Canton Ohio house once belonging to President William McKinley and wife Ida, and serves up a weird amalgam of decorating and democracy, a great deal of former White House china with a side bar of first lady anecdotes.

Retiring Ohio Republican Representative Ralph Regula has funneled cash to the Library for years through his position on the House appropriations Committee. The First Ladies’ most recent filing shows government grants accounted for $1,028,991 of the Library’s $1,344,415 revenue.

The Library’s Founder was sort of coy with CNN on where it all came from:

“You know, surprisingly, it hasn’t been difficult to raise the raise the funds. It seems to be an idea whose time has come. We raised over three and a half million from private and corporate funds.”

And she’s not sweating to do it either. The Library’s most recent filings for have her paid $68,808 for a 30 hour week.

She’s Regula’s wife Mary.

What does the money buy? They have a building and a library, from which they launch educational programs such as “Right To Read “The White House Pets”‘ Grades: K-6

“A First Lady will relate stories about many of the Presidential pets and the families who loved them. The program continues with a First Lady reading a book to your class with the help of puppets and possibly a willing student.”

They sell tchotskies in some way connected with first ladies, with Betty Ford and Nancy Reagan not represented.

You can save big on the Laura Bush China Box – prices slashed to $24.95 from $53.00!

Some of their expenses seem odd. In 2004, the most recently available yearly report, they spent $94,000 on “website update.” Look at the thing.

They paid Carl Sverrazza Anthony a hundred thousand dollars for his services as an author and historian in 2004. Anthony has carved out a specialty writing not terribly deep tomes commemorating first ladies and their offspring. The Library appears to be sponsoring him in writing a biography of McKinley’s wife Ida Saxton, the first volume of which has appeared this year. No information on their web site about who gets the book’s royalties if any.

“It was an honor to wear each of these pieces, and every gown, dress and suit brings back wonderful memories; moments in my life that I will remember and cherish forever”

You work with what you have, and Nancy Reagan apparently will live or die on 80s fashion. She’s taking her old dresses, borrowed, donated, and occasionally paid for, and putting them on display at the Reagan Library.

It’s a bold move. Under heavy flack in Reagan’s first term for accepting oodles of free [and not cheap] dresses, Nancy rounded on her critics by singing “Second Hand Rose” to DC establishment hacks at the Gridiron Club.

Result? Charmed press corps rushed to embrace “laughing at herself” narrative, controversy defused. And in some tellings the end of the story.

Former Clintonist Paul Begala joins in the warm glow:

“I never knew — don’t know her personally, but she did a great job as our first lady, and that’s — that was one — the Democrats should have left her off-limits. I’m proud to say, today, there are no Democrats attacking Laura Bush nor should there be. She’s a terrific first lady herself, so…”

But she kept taking free clothes!

Now we get to witness the “86-year old philanthropist’s wardrobe” when she puts what she’s kept on display. It presumably increasing their value as eventual donations for tax deductions, and gives one last bump to the free-bee dispensing designers she favored.

So life-like!

Damp but determined.

Any opportunity to mention Bill Clinton singer/donor Denise Rich is a great day. But before we get all excited about Hillary Clinton and Clinton Library donors, lets recall where we are on Presidential Library disclosure.

Bill Clinton has spoken, and correctly pointed out that his Arab money is entitled to the same secrecy under current law as that of the former and current Presidents Bush.

Nothing is happening in the Senate on the disclosure bill, and a companion bill to overturn President George Bush’s secrecy in perpetuity executive order has been stalled by an apparently random Republican Senator from Kentucky.

And since when has Washington been squeamish about dubious money and it’s holders? Wave upon wave of baby showers have been organized recently by Washington wives and women with real jobs for the wife of the Ambassador of Kuwait, proud representative of their Filipino maid-raping homeland.

Clinton Library Takes A Stand

Lame-ass joke cards declined, new era of taste in offing?

The Clinton Presidential Library shop has declined to stock the 2008 edition of Politicards, playing cards with big headed caricatures. And jokes!

Oh how we’ll laugh at yet another portrayal of Hillary Clinton as a ball buster.

Peter Green claims to be a formerly liberal libertarian conservative who engages in “gently roasting each character with a non-partisan blend of comedy and insight.”

It’s like the Capitol Steps in stiff paper form!

The artist tries to assure us he has no point of view. “I can’t take a position politically…My position is to draw attention to the issue and the candidates . . . and definitely not take it too seriously.”

Hats off to the Clinton Library for joining with the other Presidential Libraries by dumping this drek, for whatever motives.

Taste is not assured however. We will always be haunted by their ghastly taste in music.