How character didn't count against the Clintons this time

The Clintons are on the verge of returning to the White House on the strength of the character issue.

No, not their own moral character. Hillary Clinton's trustworthinessremains a major public concern a little more than two weeks before the election. Bill Clinton's is still supposed to be none of our business, just like in the 1990s.

But the Clintons are benefiting from outrage over Donald Trump's character flaws and treatment of women, a turnaround that must be stunning to some of Bill and Hillary's longtime critics. Hillary Clintonnow speaks of America being great only because it is good, a phrase social conservatives liked to quote when arguing against the Clintons.

In the waning days of the 42nd president's administration, talk of "Clinton fatigue" was all the rage. Polls predicted and pundits assumedit would drag down Al Gore in the 2000 presidential race. George W. Bush ran against him promising to "restore honor and decency" to the White House.

Gore partly blamed Bill Clinton for his loss in that election. Even after the hanging chads and Bush v. Gore loomed larger in the liberal psyche as proximate causes, to historical events that have been revisited in light of Trump's refusal to commit to accepting the election results, the two had a tense meeting about Clinton fatigue's impact on Gore's fortunes before they left office.