My bathroom is very streamlined. Very modern, maybe even chiq. That means there's no real good place to have a stack of magazines and periodicals. So, I have one book on my toilet. Have had, for the last few months: a slender, small, plastic covered little red book of Quotations from Revolutionary Party Chairman R.U. Sirius.

Last night my brother noticed the book, and said he enjoyed the part on "Clintonism." And I quote:

"...Paul Krassner surprised us by reporting that he was friendly with a couple who were also friends of Bill and Hillary's. "Real close friends, and frequent dinner guests," as Krassner put it. "Clinton is one of ours," he added.

I don't think that Paul was telling us that Clinton was a yippie or even a radical. I think he meant that the Clintons were moderately hip and sophisticated, politically-progressive baby boomers. Krassner went on to say that they had been infiltrating the system since the early 1970s, always looking towards the Presidency.

As the result of that conversation, and a few other admittedly scarce bits of evidence, I've always viewed Clinton as waging a subtle strategic battle to bring at least some liberal, humane values into a sclerotic American political system and an increasingly harsh and fascistic culture. I now view the battle as not only lost, but abandoned. And therein lies the unique tragedy of America's first semi-hip President.

I have warm feelings for Bill Clinton, which have waxed as the new President struggles to clearly state moral rectitude and empire-building. But I don't have much to base my feelings on, except as Clinton was fabulous and flawed. I mean he did weasel, and lie a bit, prevaricate. That's not exactly cute. But he was smart, obviously so smart. A terrific communicator. A yearning to be loved by so many people. An unstoppable eagerness to please. What will I find nostalgic about Bush, I wonder? His flaws too, cute mispronunciations. And he'll likely appear canny in the rear-view mirror too.

Anyhow, tough to think that liberal politics and counter-culture values might have been pegged to that flawed character. I like to believe that America is becoming a more tolerant place; sometimes the popular political pendulum seems to have swung away from that. Perhaps Sirius is right; either way he's pithy.