Side Dish - The William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park, Little Rock, AR - 5/2008

"It don't hurt....You drink yo' 40 and get yo buzz on....you straight. I got this brand cause I'm down for mine!! West 23rd....Fo' LIFE"

That immortal quote from Bangin' in Little Rock - (Best.HBO.documentary.ever.) all but sums up Arkansas' passion for Bill Clinton. No matter what Bill did, it "don't hurt" and whatever negative attention he might have brought to the state of Arkansas, they are most certainly still "Down fo' mine". 

The recent naming of the newest 394th unit of the National Park Service is the ridiculously long "President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site" (which will have a hell of a time fitting on a passport stamp). Arkansas loves their president. And ironically, Bill Clinton loves himself to an even greater extent. It was with his blessing and near constant input that the William J. Clinton Presidental Center and Park came to be.

Clinton agonized (and no doubt drove staffers bonkers) over every single detail of the museum. What story it would tell, what perspectives it would take, to the kind of energy it drew from (all green BTW), all were not able to proceed without the 43rd President's approval. President Clinton was (and is) adamant that his legacy not be focused or centered on the ridiculous sexual scandal that resulted in his impeachment, but of the many accomplishments that he was able to acheive.

When remembering the decade of the 1990's, prosperity did in fact reign and yes...Clinton had a major part in keeping the world at peace and paychecks in the pockets of American workers. Hindsight is, as the cliche states, 20/20, and history has already begun to bear out that Clinton's presidency was, for all intents and purposes, a success.

And once you buy your ticket, you ain't ever gonna forget it.......Remember Little Rock drank their 40, and they are indeed straight.

The museum itself is an impressive specimen. The architecture is stunning, and the place at first seems massive when first entering. The visitors are given an audio wand, which describes all exhibits and memorabilia. The audio program is extensive, and if all chapters were listened to, would take an entire 8 hour day browsing the museum.

The museum is located on two floors. The top floor begins with a film chronicling the life of William Jefferson Clinton and his presidency (Monica Lewinsky - GTFO...no room for you in this film). After viewing the film is a small rotunda, the theatre brings you to an exact replica of Clinton's Oval Office, down to the last speck of dust. A very nice presentation of the office, along with the Cabinet Meeting Room, immerses the visitor in White House life.

The Cabinet Room is equipped with audio/visual touch screen programs highlighting accomplishments of Clinton's Presidency (and judging by both visitors in the picture above, are apparently as riveting as Citizen Kane).

The rest of the second floor is dedicated to the various gifts that Bill, Hillary, Chelsea, Buddy, and Socks Clinton received during the White House years.....Case after case is filled to the brim with gifts spanning the globe. Every gift, down to the tietack, is recorded on the blue display signs.

The first floor of the museum is extensive to the point of exhaustion. Every year of Clinton's presidency has one (sometimes two) sections of the bottom floor. What appears in the photos above and below to be lovely blue pillars, actually represents a small amount of documentation the library is in possession of, which includes:

20 million e-mails

78 million pages of official records

2 million photographs

12,500 videotapes

Each year's exhibit has the opportunity to focus on every minute detail that may have occurred on Clinton's watch. From the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, the Rwandan massacre (about which Clinton did precisely NOTHING about - although the museum does express Clinton's regrets), to Wall Street's monumental gains....it's all here.

But nothing can prepare for the introduction of the man that singlehandedly derailed what could have been "the greatest presidency in American History" (Clinton tried that line, no doubt) and brought every good thing crashing to the ground........Newt Gingrich. An entire section is devoted to the impeachment trial and the investigation by Gingrich and his cronies. No mention of Monica Lewinsky is found here either......this investigation apparently appeared out of thin air. However - we can't complain. We admit to feeling the same way about Gingrich that the museum does; however, it does seem all a bit one-sided and continuously repeated "Clinton - Gooood, Gingrich - Baaaad."

The grounds will eventually hold the remains of President Clinton (and assuming Hillary - but you never know), and it is clear that at the time of our visit, much still needed to be accomplished to prepare the grounds for any kind of interment. And with the manorexic visage of Clinton getting thinner by the day, they might want to speed things up.

The William J Clinton Presidential Center and Park is an impressive achievement in storytelling and architecture. It is a good way to pass the time in Little Rock (trust us....you'll want to spend as much time there as possible....not much to do in this town), and a well-told, albeit biased, narrative of the Clinton Presidency. But this is Arkansas...........they won't let another story be told.

Fo' LIFE.