NEW DELHI -- Scarred by his ignominious final acts in office, former U.S. President Bill Clinton stepped out of the shadow of scandal to try and be a healer during his just-completed tour of the earthquake-ravaged western Indian state of Gujarat. In New Delhi this week, Clinton was welcomed by another scandal-tainted leader, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is fighting for his political life after a bribery expose damaged his government.
For Clinton and Vajpayee, the much-publicized tour helped shift attention from the scandals plaguing them to the almost-forgotten disaster that devastated large parts of Gujarat. However, it will take Clinton a lifetime to rebuild his shattered image, and the bribery scandal is likely to haunt the ailing Vajpayee to the bitter end.
Clinton and Vajpayee epitomize the attrition of political ethics and the decline of leadership standards in the world.