4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 13, 1999 be Bidlign tai1g Bush is a lot more like Clinton than he d like to admit 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan HEATHER KAMINS Editor in Chief JEFFREY KOSSEFF DAVID WALLACE Editorial Page Editors A mericans are masochists. Evervone likes to make dirty Clinton jokes and complain about the nightmare our presi- dent brought us through, but if poll num- bers are any indication, many of us (not Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. me) are willing to put another Slick Willy at the helm - George W. Bush. With a 10-gallon hat for his five-gallon head, GW has an image to sell - the prodigal son who has made peace with his demons and want to serve the public as president. But would his reign help us move past punchline politics or would it simply give us more reasons to complain about gov- ernment? We'd welcome changes Welcome Week festivities remain unpopular Jack Schillaci S'a' I the Left image of god-like perfection from its presidents. And forget about dredging up scandalous memories of the past - Clinton often just doesn't want to go there and is smart enough to dodge the issue. When all else fails. he can always talk his way around the topic at hand.r It reminds me of a certain other politi- co who would rather not talk about part of his mysterious past. GW doesn't want to talk about "mistakes" he may or may not have made 25 years ago. He'll talk about his troubles with booze. And oh, by the way, he's never been unfaithful to his wife. But the nose candy, that's just an unsubstantiated rumor and it doesn't mat- ter and the American People don't care and it's irrelevant and hey, this is a politi- cal game, people, and he's just not gonna play it. Please. Welcome to post-Lewinskygate poli- tics, GW, where nothing is secret, nothing is sacred and payback's a bitch. Many have noticed the stark personali- ty similarities between the chief execu- tives of the nation and Texas. But most such suggestions are pushed to the back burner because let's face it, most of us do not like the idea of another Bill Clinton in the White House. Many, if not most, of us have had our fill of the half-truths and confusion and mindless politicking that Clinton's reign has brought us through, even if we do like him politically. This doesn't necessarily mean that we hate or even think poorly of Bill, but let's face it, having Clinton in the White House is exhausting. GW can carry us into the promise land and break from the shenanigans of the Clinton White House, right? Wrong. Billy C. wrote the book on con- temporary personality politics and Georgie B. bought out the entire first edi- tion. Some have also accused Al Gore of fol- lowing in his boss's footsteps, but let's face it. Gore just isn't that sneaky or crafty. If he pulled the wooden board out of his suit coat and loosened up a bit, maybe I could buy it. Bill Clinton felt our pain and remem- bered a place called Hope. GW promises to bring dignity and compassionate con- servatism to the Oval Office while pro- moting prosperity with a purpose. Such well formed political verbiage, isn't it? It was pretty much BS in '92 and '96 - it certainly isn't any better because an ele- phant is at the mic rather than a donkey. Clinton wanted us to compartmentalize and forgive him his sins. GW wants us to know that he found God when he was 40 and has been a straight arrow ever since.. In an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, GW recently made afauxpaus about federal immigration policy that quickly drew criticism. In true Clinton- esque form, GW's people quickly correct- ed the mistake, claiming he had misun- derstood the question and that he didn't mean what it sounded like he said and he did mean what he had implied earlier, or something like that - it's hard to tell with so much doublespeak going on. Remind you of another man's problem understanding the phrase "sexual rela- tions?" Cynical? Hell yeah, I'm cynical. Clinton and GW'll do that to you. The real question remaining is: Do we really want Clintonian dramatics coming out of Washington for another four years? - Jack Schillaci can be reached over e-mail at jschilla@umich.edu. TENTIATIVLYX S PEAKING As thousands of students pour into Ann Arbor for Welcome Week to mill about the campus before classes, a familiar cry is heard from first-year students: "There's nothing to do!" * Welcome Week is touted as "a week of programs and activities welcoming new students to the University of Michigan." Student volunteers and University employ- ees put in a lot of planning and effort to accommodate students during this time. Why, then, do students feel eager to start classes and end what is supposed to be such an exciting time? Many students and resident advisers feel this full week of acclimation is too long. Four or five days would be fine. While it is good to have a period of time to get used to their new surroundings, all new students have had orientation by the time Welcome Week arrives. They have already had time to prepare for classes and get to know the campus. There is no need for more "intro- duction." Moving in doesn't take more than a day, and when Welcome Week activities don't appeal to students, they get antsy. Certain events, such as Maize Craze and Artscapade/Escapade, are popular and well-planned. But these seem few and far between for students who sit in their residence hall rooms for the rest of the week. It is not for a lack of events that students are bored; there is a plethora of activities. Rather, many of the activities are unpop- ular. When students first attend Welcome Week activities, a lot of them are not as fun as anticipated, and seem rather repetitive. There are only so many ice cream socials a student can take. If new students are in low attendance at these events, the Office of New Student Programs and other organiz- ers need to take a look at what is wrong. Perhaps they should get student feedback to assess what changes need to take place. The city of Ann Arbor and what it has to offer has been overlooked. The focus of Welcome Week should not just be the University but the surrounding area as well. The free showing of "Casablanca" at the Michigan Theatre is a good example of how the city could be better incorporated into Welcome Week. Welcome Week planners should take full advantage of the Internet. They could broadcast the latest events and keep in touch with new students. Knowing more about the event might entice more people to come. New students also could meet online and find other students interested in the same activities through message boards or chat areas. Welcome Week is the last chance for students to get acclimated to their new environment before classes kick in, but the committees responsible need to take anoth- er look at these issues. With so many resources available and so many students willing to help out, the University has the ability to revamp Welcome Week and leave students with a great first impression of the University. President Bill Clinton has taken more than his fair share of jabs - some of them deserved, some not so - from opponents hell bent on discrediting him. A lot of the anger directed at Clinton stems from the way that he changed the personality of the presidency. In a sense, it had to happen -- the tabloid sensation appetite of the public being what it is, tra- ditional privacy boundaries afforded to public figures have necessarily shrunk. All have to admit, though, that Clinton is a media-savvy politician in the truest sense of the term. His ability to work an audience, be it Congress or Tabitha Soren, is amazing. And if nothing else, Clinton has taught America that it can no longer expect the THoMAs KULJURGIS Censored Court decision deals blow to campus media 'U' should revamp or eliminate pass/fail policy TO THE DAILY: In the spirit of the Daily's editorial regarding extending the current pass/fail deadline ("An 'F' for inconvenience," 919!99), I have a suggestion to make: I sug- gest that the University either eliminate pass/fail altogether or else make it retroac- tively available to students after grades have been received. Learning to successfully use the pass/fail system to one's advantage should not be part of the University's de facto curriculum. If pass/fail were avail- able retroactively, all students would ben- efit from it - not just those who are intent on learning "the system" and manipulating it to their advantage. This change would also benefit faculty, since students would retain the incentive to strive for a higher grade instead of just aiming for the C range. Although it is true that some limita- tions (such as a drop/add deadline) are necessary for budget allocation, etc., such restrictions have the effect of encouraging less ambitious "safe" curriculum choices and thereby limit students' intellectual freedom. Facilitating this freedom ought to be among the top priorities at one of the great public universities. The University should strive toward encouraging each student to pursue his or her interests with a minimum of bureau- cratic obstacles. Pass/fail as it currently exists represents what amounts to an undesirable loophole, the exploitation of SE.CRETA M of IEFE"IE 5upF ,oo4 IN . M I &LI E PA A LA(.>* OF PuSLIC PORT WS WE SEW 4TROOPS Tp o WCAUSE A LOT OF AK4E~iL44 EVEN VWW WERE KOSQ~OCWAS, A 1o xR ou t KOw ;E K