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Mon 21 Jun, 2004 10:30 am
Context:
In fact, "My Life" reads like a messy pastiche of everything that Mr. Clinton ever remembered and wanted to set down in print; he even describes the time he got up at 4 a.m. to watch the inaugural ceremonies for Nigeria's new president on TV. There are endless litanies of meals eaten, speeches delivered, voters greeted and turkeys pardoned. There are some fascinating sections about Mr. Clinton's efforts to negotiate a Middle East peace agreement (at one point, he suggests that Yasir Arafat seemed confused, not fully in command of the facts and possibly no longer at the top of his game), but there are also tedious descriptions of long-ago political debates in Arkansas over utility regulation and car license fees . There are some revealing complaints about missteps at the FBI under Louis Freeh's watch , but there are also dozens of pointless digressions about matters like zombies in Haiti and ruins in Pompeii.
(1) Turkeys pardoned = unwelcomed people who were released from punishment?
(2) at one point = regarding one of his observations?
(3) missteps at the FBI under Louis Freeh's watch = missteps at the FBI under Louis Freeh's leadership?
Re: Turkeys pardoned
oristarA wrote:(1) Turkeys pardoned = unwelcomed people who were released from punishment?
Turkey (the bird) is traditionally served for dinner on Thanksgiving. It's a White House tradition for the president to issue a "pardon" to a turkey that would otherwise be served for Thanksgiving dinner. Since Clinton was in office for eight Thanksgivings, he would have pardoned eight turkeys.
oristarA wrote:(2) at one point = regarding one of his observations?
At one point in his book.
oristarA wrote:(3) missteps at the FBI under Louis Freeh's watch = missteps at the FBI under Louis Freeh's leadership?
Yes. "Under his watch" is a nautical/military term: a sailor or sentry has a "watch," during which he is responsible for the security of the ship/camp.
I find reading about the turkeys Clinton pardoned of far more interest than the plastic Turkey Bush used for a photo op in Iraq with the troops last Thanksgiving.
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