A month ago my car became unwell and I had to bring it to the mechanic. My opinion of the mechanic rested solely on his ability to fix my car; his personal life, and specifically whether or not he had committed adultery in the recent past, was of no concern to me. Neither was it any of my business. We are not made of rock, we are not gods; we are flesh and blood, we are all human, and we all share the vulnerability of our humanity.
The president of the United States is a uniquely powerful and influential figure. Since the Troubles began in Ulster in 1968 no president has taken any great interest in us. This is quite understandable. The US has its own problems, and on a global scale we are too small and unlovely to worry about.
And then Bill Clinton became president and leant his ear and the authority of his office to the solving of our problems; the pressures and influences he was able to bring to bear have been a vital part of the peace process, lending it an unstoppable momentum. I accept that his behaviour with Monica Lewinsky was cheap and tawdry, and his attempts to cover up also hard to defend. “O what a tangled web we weave....” The reputation of his presidency will forever be tarnished by his mistakes; the office demands a degree of dignity the squalid publicity surrounding the affair has denied him.
But we shouldn’t lose sight of the great good he has done for Ireland; set against his achievements his mistakes become very trivial indeed. In his two visits here he displayed charisma and knowledge and enthusiasm enough to battle and charm even the most hardened cynics. Well, perhaps not all of them; “Lock up your women” was Ian Paisley’s response to the president’s last visit.
Just this month we have seen traditional antagonists, previously defined almost purely by their mutual enmity, sitting down together in a democratically elected body, something unthinkable and beyond all hope a short time ago. Our children now have a future where the big issues will be the real ones, the environment and the economy, rather than which flag flies over us or which football team we support.
So thanks Bill; you will always have our gratitude and always be welcome in Ireland.