In the nearly two years since his impeachment, President Clinton has been working furiously to resuscitate his public image and to ensure his legacy consists of more than just an affair with a White House intern. With only a few months remaining in his second term, Clinton is not content to be a lame duck.

President Clinton scored two major victories in September, one legislative and the other legal. Congress passed legislation granting permanent trade status with China, an issue Clinton had long championed. And independent counsel Robert Ray announced that after a six year, $52 million dollar investigation, there was insufficent evidence to prove any criminal wrongdoing by Clinton or his wife in the Whitewater case.

Clinton has been actively pursuing other paths to political redemption. In an effort to broker a peace accord in the Middle East, Clinton presided over grueling negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at Camp David in July. While those talks were ultimately did not result in an agreement, President Clinton is considering restarting negotiations before the end of his term. And he has been promoting the candidacies of his wife, Hillary Clinton, and his vice president, Al Gore, recognizing that their victories would enhance his own legacy.

The public seems to be responding to the President's public rehabilitation: recent polls indicate that his job approval ratings are at their highest level ever, and some even exceed the approval ratings enjoyed by Ronald Reagan during his final months in office.

But President Clinton's past transgressions continue to plague him. While his job approval ratings soar, other polls show that the majority of the public disapproves of him personally. On August 10, Clinton addressed his failings in front of an audience of 4,000 members of a church in Illinois and expressed remorse for his affair with Monica Lewinsky and the scandal that led to his impeachment.

In May, an Arkansas Supreme Court ethics panel recommended that he be disbarred for "serious misconduct" in the testimony he provided in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. A ruling on disbarment is expected before the end of his term.

His quest for an unblemished legacy was evident in his speech to the Democratic National Convention on August 14. It was be one of the last chances President Clinton had to address the nation, and he made the most of it. After a dramatic solo walk through the backstage corridors of the Staples Center, Clinton was welcomed by an ecstatic crowd of Democrats. His speech highlighted his own record as touted Al Gore's strengths. Whether this speech, Clinton's last minute flurry of peace negotiations, and executive orders and legislation, will succeed in eclipsing the impeachment scandal will be left for history to determine.

On One Hand...

The passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement; a peace accord between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland; welfare reform; significant progress towards peace in the Middle East; elimination of the federal debt; an unprecedented period of economic growth. These accomplishments, and many others, are Bill Clinton's legacy. His two terms in office have resulted in historic prosperity and peace in the United States, and his leadership deserves a large measure of the credit. The American public has demonstrated their ability to separate private transgressions from public achievements, and Clinton's legacy will reflect this.

On the Other Hand...

The first paragraph of every history of the Clinton administration will contain the word "impeachment." The scandals that plagued Clinton's time in office — from the early travel office firings to his possible disbarment — will be remembered as the signatures of his presidency. His many accomplishments will always be overshadowed by the fact that he got caught lying about an affair with a woman half his age, and for the fact that he was foolish and arrogant enough to conduct the affair in the Oval Office. Bill Clinton sullied the presidency with his corrupt and immoral behavior, and his legacy will be one of scandal and disgrace.

• On 53 separate occasions, according to survey by the Congressional Research Service, an investigative arm of Congress, Clinton notified Congress he was sending U.S. troops into harm's way.

• Over the course of his seven and a half years as president, Mr. Clinton has signed an average of about one executive order or other policy-making declaration a week, or 450 in all, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

• In a March 1999 survey, the Pew Center found that 74 percent of voters agreed they were "tired of all the problems associated with the Clinton administration," while 29 percent said they wished he could run for a third term.

• An April 2000 Harris Poll survey found that if Clinton were allowed to run again, 43 percent of all voters would prefer him as the Democratic nominee, compared with 39 percent for Gore. Among self-identified Democrats, 60 percent said they would prefer Clinton as their party's nominee in 2000, while only 34 percent said they wanted Gore.

Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor