One of the most lamentable legacies left to us by President Clinton and his Three Ring Circus is also one of the most insidious. I had not given it very much thought until I noticed a disturbing thread running through the arguments of many of those defending the policies and actions of President Bush in forums both public and private.

With alarming frequency, Bush defenders answer charges against their man by comparing him to Clinton pointing with great pride to the fact that Bush is not as “bad” as Bubba.

I should certainly hope not.

But I also hope we have not entered into a phase during which the standard to surpass in order to be considered presidential timbre is embodied in a moral pauper like William Jefferson Clinton.

Suggesting that Bush is a “good man” simply because he isn’t as bereft of morals or conscience as Clinton ought not to be defensible logic. It is like saying that John Gotti is a pretty nice guy when compared to Benito Mussolini.

I pray for all of our sakes that George W. Bush and his predecessors are to be held to a much higher standard than that established by the Clinton administration. I also hope for all the world that President Bush serves us well as our President. But no leader should be immune from the process of criticism through such simplistic observations.

If we stop shining the light of inquiry on Mr. Bush and others simply because they exceed such a knee high standard, we are going to invite a line of successors to positions of power who would be better suited to occupy coveted space on the bulletin board at the post office.

I think the time is at hand to dismiss “Bubba” from the public consciousness and the national discourse. Even using him as a reference point is an insult to members of both parties and a sad reminder of how low we allowed our standards to be taken.

Let us not issue a defacto license to politicians to embrace any depth of values as long as they don’t sink to the oily watermarks established over the last eight years.

That is no way to help us raise the level of expectation for our leaders to be the men and women our children deserve to look to as sources of pride, inspiration and leadership.