Former U.S. President Bill Clinton appeared on an O.U.T.R.A.G.E. telecast reviewing political interviews from recent years. He brought along a clip from his 2006 interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News, a so-called "news" network that was in reality not much more than a conservative propaganda machine. "That interview was very confrontational," said Clinton, "and I firmly stand by the statement I made on that program: the biggest problem facing the world today is 'the illusion that our differences matter more than our common humanity'. It's a myth of gargantuan proportions, and it's a myth that now must be buried so that this nation - and our neighbors across the globe - can move on to more important matters."
Clinton's wife, Hillary, had been killed in the January O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bombing attacks. A leading contender for the Democratic party's Presidental nominee in 2008, she was revered by many and despised by many. Among conservatives, she was not well liked in the Senate; among liberals, she got mixed reviews. Some considered her to be an asset to the party; others thought she would split the party in half. Her campaign had amassed tens of millions of dollars in contributions, however, and the smart money was being bet on her being the Presidential candidate in 2008 from the Democratic party. Her husband's new visibility, beginning with the combative interview on Fox News, proved to be another valuable asset. He had been a popular President, even though his Repubican opponents spent millions of taxpayers' dollars to successfully impeach him for lying to Congress about a sexual dalliance with a White House intern. Even after it was all over, Clinton's approval ratings remained in the high 70's and beyond, something Republican counterparts could only dream about. It forced the question: if Republicans were held in such less esteem, why did they control the White House and Congress for eight consecutive years? The most obvious conclusions, of course, were that the Republicans had used any means available to winning - at any cost. Ethics, morality, legalities, and just plain honesty were all brushed aside as Republicans did whatever they had to in order to win and remain in control. The other reason, of course, was the Republicans' savvy 'salesmanship' which created doubts and fears in the American public about the "war on terror". A constant barrage of "what if" scenarios was enough to convince most voters that only the Republicans could keep them safe and keep the country secure. It was an astonishing flim-flam, an amazing demonstration of just how gullible Americans were; little did they seem to realize that the billions of their dollars the Bush administration was squandering on Homeland Security was nothing more than part of the sham. The world was no longer a safe place - and, in large part, the Bush paranoia had only served to escalate the danger.
At the time no one gave much thought to it, but Bill Clinton was about to become a factor in the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. rebellion. He was a proven leader, and his views reflected the views of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. membership. Now a widower with lots of time on his hands, Clinton could make a valuable contribution to the movement as an ambassador of peace and goodwill throughout the world. Colin Powell and John McCain were engaged in serious talks with Clinton and what kind of role he could play in the reformation of America. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were impressed with Clinton's persuasiveness; it was no wonder he was known as "slick Willy" during his tenure as President. As one O.U.T.R.A.G.E. member said, "Bill Clinton can sell birth control pills to nuns." Bringing all of the world's nations together for peaceful, communal efforts would require the combined talents of a statesman, politician, inveigler, motivator, seductress and used car salesman. Clinton was all that and more!
The biggest problem facing the world today is the illusion that our differences matter more than our common humanity. Truer words were never spoken. It was worthy of becoming the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. mantra.